NO ADVANCE WARNING IN PLACE FOR CRYPTOSPORIDIUM OUTBREAK

Date Published: 06-Apr-2008

A study of the emergency department at University Hospital Galway has shown there was NO mechanism in place to detect trends that could have warned about the cryptosporidium outbreak that occurred in Galway in March last year.

The study published by the Irish Health Journal shows that despite 185 patients being diagnosed with atypical gastroenteritis in the run up to the outbreak, an imminent public health epidemic was not foreseen

It’s now emerged that 3 quarters of those affected with gastroenteritis, 5 weeks before the outbreak of cryptosporidium were living in the affected area.

According to the study, identifying public health dangers is ‘impeded by a lack of proper information and technology in emergency departments’.

A boil notice was eventually put in place in Galway city for five months.

Nearly 250 people were diagnosed with illness caused by cryptosporidium but it’s believed thousands of people were affected by the symptoms which included nausea, vomiting and diarrhoea.