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Illness in a community associated with an episode of water contamination with sewage

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2009

J. Fogarty ,
L. Thornton ,
C. Hayes ,
M. Laffoy ,
D. O'Flanagan ,
J. Devlin  and
R. Corcoran
J. Fogarty*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, Eastern Health Board, Dublin
L. Thornton
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, Eastern Health Board, Naas, Co, Kildare
C. Hayes
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, Eastern Health Board, Dublin
M. Laffoy
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, Eastern Health Board, Dublin
D. O'Flanagan
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, Eastern Health Board, Dublin
J. Devlin
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, Eastern Health Board, Naas, Co, Kildare
R. Corcoran
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health Medicine, Eastern Health Board, Naas, Co, Kildare
*
* Correspondence and reprint requests to Dr J. Fogarty, Western Health Board, 25 Newcastle Road, Galway.
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Summary

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Following an episode of water contamination with sewage in a rural Irish town, a community-wide survey of gastrointestinal-associated illness and health service utilization was conducted. Random sampling of households yielded residents who were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. Of 560 respondents from 167 (84%) households, equal proportions lived in areas known to have been exposed and unexposed to the contaminated water, although 65% of subjects reported using contaminated water. Sixty-one percent of subjects met the case definition. The most common symptoms among cases were abdominal cramps (80%), diarhoea (75%), appetite loss (69%), nausea (68%) and tiredness (66%). Mean duration of illness was 7·4 days. Only 22 % of cases attended their general practitioner. Drinking unboiled water from the exposed area was strongly associated with being a case. A substantial degree of community illness associated with exposure to contaminated water was observed. The episode ranks as one of the largest reported water-borne outbreaks causing gastrointestinal illness in recent times.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 114 , Issue 2 , April 1995 , pp. 289 - 295
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995

References

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