All about the parasite causing diarrhea outbreak in UK city

People in Devon, southern England, have been battling a diarrhea-type illness, blamed on a faulty valve that may have allowed a parasite to enter the water supply. According to BBC, 22 cases of cryptosporidiosis were confirmed in Brixham on Wednesday, with more than 100 people reporting symptoms to doctors in the last week. A primary school in the locality announced its closure, saying it would not be possible to operate without drinking water, the outlet said.

Cryptosporidiosis is caused by the cryptosporidium parasite, which can be found in water, food, soil, or on dirty surfaces or hands that have been contaminated with feces from infected humans or animals.

According to UK health authorities, these outbreaks prolong diarrhea and can affect up to 6,000 people, according to BBC.

Meanwhile, South West Water (SWW) has apologized for the faulty valve which caused the outbreak of the disease in Devon. CEO Susan Davy told the BBC that her company “would not stop working until the situation was resolved”.

“Our ground technicians have been working around the clock to identify the source of the contamination and correct the situation so that we can resume normal water supply,” she said.

“For those in the affected area, and for our customers across the South West, I sincerely regret the disruption and the wider anxiety this has caused. While incidents like these are thankfully very rare, our customers expect a safe, clean and reliable source of drinking water”, added the CEO.

SWW asked its customers to boil water before consuming it.

What is cryptosporidium?

Cryptosporidium, also called crypto, is a microscopic parasite that can cause a respiratory and gastrointestinal illness that primarily involves watery diarrhea, sometimes with a persistent cough.

Symptoms of the illness it causes include stomach pain, nausea or vomiting, low-grade fever, and loss of appetite. Most people develop symptoms within one to 12 days of contracting the parasite.

Symptoms usually last about two weeks, but may last longer if the immune system is not working properly. In these cases, the parasite causes serious illness and can be fatal.