Victims of Devon’s contaminated water crisis say they were left with a stomach ache so painful one woman even compared it to giving birth.
The mystery illness is believed to be linked to cryptosporidium, a parasitic insect that can enter water supplies through contaminated fecal matter.
Health authorities have detected at least 22 cases of cryptosporidium infection in the town of Brixham, where about 17,000 people live.
South West Water has told residents in the town of Boohay, Kingswear, Roseland and north east Paignton to boil their drinking water to avoid the faeces-borne parasite which is believed to have infiltrated water supplies.
But the advice came too late for some residents who have been plagued by diarrhea and other gastrointestinal symptoms like cramps for days.
South West Water has set up bottled water stops for residents to collect water if they cannot boil it at home.
A suspected cryptosporidium outbreak is believed to affect hundreds of people in Brixham (pictured)
Brixham resident Lisa Horswill even compared the pain to giving birth.
‘It’s worse after you’ve eaten. Then the diarrhea just drains you and the stomach cramps appear, which are as painful as childbirth,” she said. news.
He added that although South West Water had offered them £15 in compensation, the family had already spent more than that on bottled water.
Another resident, Michaela Lewis, said her five-year-old daughter had been suffering symptoms of Cryptosporidium infection for 12 days.
‘What does this kind of thing do to the stomach of such a young person? “It can’t be good for little kids,” she stated.
Locals also told MailOnline that they started experiencing symptoms about two weeks ago.
Retiree Kathy Hudson, 67, said: “I have been ill since last week with cramps, diarrhoea, nausea and dizziness. My daughter-in-law has also become ill.
‘I don’t want to know what’s in the water I’ve been drinking but now they’re telling me not to wash your hands, can you take a shower? What is he going to do to you?
To make matters worse, Kathy says she hasn’t been able to buy bottled water because panicked shoppers have emptied the shelves of the city’s supermarkets.
He added: “There is no water left in any of the stores in the city.”
Meg Dew, another Brixham resident, said: ‘My 62-year-old mother called me about half an hour ago; She has a bad stomach and diarrhea.
‘My friends have been sick since the Pirate Festival (May 4-6), and until this morning I didn’t even know there was a problem with the water.
“South West Water needs to fix this problem, the bills are high but they are worthless.”
Schools in the area have been forced to close because they cannot supply water to students.
South West Water initially claimed its treatment works were not to blame but has since backtracked, sparking the fury of local Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall, who said its initial lack of action had been “hugely frustrating”.
Dr Lincoln Sargeant, Torbay’s director of public health, speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, is “optimistic” the outbreak is under control.
He said: “This was reported as an outbreak on Tuesday morning and by Wednesday we had a credible source that it was likely to be a reservoir serving the TQ5 postcode, such as Brixham and neighboring areas.”
South West Water has apologized to customers and provided detailed advice on how to remove disease-causing organisms from the water.
‘South West Water has been investigating and continues to carry out tests. Of course, this is an ongoing situation, but we are pretty sure at this point with the boil water advisory and the ongoing investigation and remediation of the water supply there that the primary source would have stopped.
“What we’re focusing on now is making sure we don’t have any spread from those initial cases.”
Dr. Sargeant added that the full picture of how Cryptosporidium got into the water supply will be known once investigations have been completed.
‘Definitive answers to that (why the disease affected this area) will come when South West Water can carry out its investigations.
‘Cryptosporidium exists in the environment. Sometimes when there is a lot of rain it can get into the water system, but it is usually detected through rigorous testing and water treatment.
‘We are very optimistic (it is under control). “Some of the key measures, such as identifying the primary source, are already in our hands.”
Totnes and South Devon Conservative MP Anthony Mangnall has criticized the “hugely frustrating” pace at which South West Water has tried to tackle the outbreak.
Hundreds of residents are believed to be experiencing a range of symptoms including watery diarrhea, stomach pains, nausea or vomiting, mild fever and loss of appetite.
A South West Water spokesperson said: ‘Customers in Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham are advised to boil their drinking water before consuming it, following new Cryptosporidium test results.
‘We are issuing this notice following small traces of the organism identified overnight and this morning.
‘We are working with the UK Health Security Agency and other public health partners to urgently investigate and eliminate the source.
‘We apologize for the inconvenience caused and will continue to keep customers and businesses informed. Bottled water stations will be installed in affected areas as soon as possible.’
Doctors technically call cryptosporidium infection cryptosporidiosis.
Patients often have to endure these symptoms for two weeks before they finally clear from their systems.
But some patients may experience longer bouts of illness in those with weakened immune systems, such as cancer patients.
Sufferers may also experience periods of false hope in which their symptoms disappear for a few days, making them believe they have finally overcome the infection, only for it to return.
Most people with cryptosporidiosis are not offered treatment and are instead told to drink plenty of fluids and minimize contact with other people while they wait until their symptoms disappear.
People usually become infected by contact with feces containing the parasite, whether from humans or animals, which then enter their mouth.
These infected faeces often come into contact with people by contaminating lakes, streams, swimming pools and, as appears to be the case in Devon, water supplies.
People can also get it by caring for people infected with the parasite, especially young children.
The risk of water supplies becoming infected is greatest after periods of heavy rain and when animals are giving birth, such as in the calving season.
Other possible sources of infection are contact with infected milk or with vegetables that have been fertilized with manure from infected animals and have not been thoroughly washed.
Patients with the infection are told not to go to work or school until they have been symptom-free for at least two days to avoid transmitting the virus to others.
Because cryptocurrencies can survive in fecal matter for long periods of time, patients are asked not to go swimming until two weeks after the diarrhea has stopped.
This includes both natural bodies of water and swimming pools, as traces of dried infected excrement can be removed from an infected swimmer’s anus.
Infected people can shed up to 100 million cryptosporidium germs in a single bowel movement, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
And swallowing just 10 is enough to make you sick.
What is cryptosporidium?
Cryptosporidium parasites are protected by a thick layer that allows them to survive in chlorinated pool water.
Cryptosporidium, also known as Crypto, are small parasites that live in water and enter the body through food or drinks.
They cause a disease called cryptosporidiosis, the most common symptom of which is watery diarrhea. It can also cause nausea, vomiting and fever.
Symptoms usually last about two weeks, but can last longer. Young children and people with weak immune systems are more likely to be affected more severely.
Parasites are protected by a thick outer layer that allows them to survive outside the body. In cool, humid conditions, they can live for several months.
They are also resistant to chlorine, so they can live in pools for up to a week.
Ingesting just 10 Cryptosporidium parasites is enough to make you sick
Outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis have been linked to drinking or swimming in contaminated water. Foods prepared with contaminated water, such as salads that are washed with it, can also be a danger.
Farmers who handle livestock may also be at risk, as the infection can be contracted from cows, goats and sheep, especially lambs.
Once swallowed, the Cryptosporidium shells split open and the parasites are released.
However, some of the parasites will pass through a person’s digestive system intact, so infection can occur by ingesting excrement particles from an infected person, such as when changing the diapers of a sick baby.
Infected people can eliminate up to 100 million parasites in a single bowel movement. Swallowing just ten is enough to make you sick.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) provides advice on controlling cryptosporidiosis outbreaks and monitors outbreaks to find the source.
