ILLNESS IN A COMMUNITY ASSOCIATED WITH AN EPISODE OF WATER CONTAMINATION WITH SEWAGE

Following an episode of water contamination with sewage in a rural Iri sh town, a community-wide survey of gastrointestinal-associated illnes s and health service utilization was conducted. Random sampling of hou seholds yielded residents who were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire. Of 560 respondents from 167 (84%) households, equal pro portions lived in areas known to have been exposed and unexposed to th e contaminated water, although 65% of subjects reported using contamin ated water. Sixty-one percent of subjects met the case definition. The most common symptoms among cases were abdominal cramps (80%), diarhoe a (75%), appetite loss (69%), nausea (68%) and tiredness (66%). Mean d uration of illness was 74 days. Only 22% of cases attended their gener al practitioner. Drinking unboiled water from the exposed area was str ongly associated with being a case. A substantial degree of community illness associated with exposure to contaminated water was observed. T he episode ranks as one of the largest reported water-borne outbreaks causing gastrointestinal illness in recent times.