Containing an outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis in Galway – the role of the Environmental Health Service (20m Lecture)

In mid-February 2007, there was a small rise in the number of laboratory-notified cases of cryptosporidiosis in the city and county of Galway, Ireland in comparison to February 2006. A further increase in cases was observed in early March 2007. An investigation was immediately established .Analysis of cases revealed that all resided in County Galway, with most in Galway City and were all in areas served by public water supplies or group water schemes using Lough Corrib as a water source.

To prevent any further spread of illness via potentially contaminated water, an incident response team was set up and a 'boil water' notice was issued. The notice applied to all areas in Galway City and to areas of the county served by Lough Corrib. General practitioners, hospitals, nursing homes, pharmacists, dentists, food premises, public houses, and children’s daycare centres were contacted directly.
The outbreak turned out to be the biggest Cryptosporidiosis outbreak ever in Ireland, with over 200 confirmed cases. This session outlines the Galway Environmental Health Departments response to this large outbreak, and demonstrates the multi disciplinary approach needed in such situations. The Galway Environmental Health Departments contribution to the investigation of the outbreak was complicated by the fact the outbreak and boil water notice applied to a number of water supplies, involved two different local authorities , there was an urban and rural spread of cases, the outbreak continued for a number of months, thus impacting on several large social and tourist events in Galway city , there was massive media interest , wide scale public concern and impact on food businesses. Other factors that arose during the investigation which also had a bearing on the Departments response were local politics, a focus on unauthorised developments and exposure of possible inadequate and poorly managed public infrastructural funding.