Water sachets are one of the main sources of potable drinking water for the people in West Africa. These small sealed packets of water are inexpensive to purchase, approximately twenty cents per bag, and sold on the streets of Ghana, with little information about their sources. Currently, there are no regulations in place for the water quality of these bags. The aim of this study was to identify the microbiological pollution in these commercially available bags. Overall, a total of 47 bags were collected from different brands in five locations across the country. Samples were filtered onsite and the filters were transported to JPH College of Public Health Core Laboratory. DNA was extracted from these filters and E. coli concentrations were detected using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) method. All cell equivalent gene numbers were transformed to cells dividing by seven, with the assumption of E. coli cells have an average of seven copies of the target gene. The results showed that samples purchased from two different companies in Kintampo had E. coli concentrations ranging from <1-­‐79 CFU /100 ml.

Overall, 58% of the samples was positive for E. coli. High numbers of E. coli pose health risk and can cause acute gastrointestinal diseases. In addition, detecting this bacterium in drinking water means that there is also the potential for contamination by other pathogenic bacteria. Ghana is one of the most improved countries in West Africa with a population of 25,758,108 and GDP of $90.41 billion. Our results have shown that even in the most advanced country of West Africa, there are still a lot of problems regarding water, sanitation and hygiene. Detection of E. coli in these sachet water samples show a potential risk for public health and better policies should be implemented in this region to prevent waterborne illnesses.