Northamptonshire Water Cryptosporidium Update
Six cases of cryptosporidiosis have now been confirmed after Northamptonshire water supplies became infected with the sickness bug last month. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said of 15 confirmed cases, six had the same "genetic fingerprint" as the cases involved in the water supply incident. Anglian Water said the bug was found in treatment works at Pitsford. At the height of the scare 250,000 water customers in Northampton and Daventry were told to boil tap water.
Confirmation of cases at this stage is not unexpected because symptoms of infection usually take between three to 10 days to appear after exposure to the cryptosporidium bug. Symptoms of cryptosporidiosis included diarrhoea, stomach pains, dehydration and fever.
Although there is no specific treatment for cryptosporidiosis, most people with a healthy immune system should recover within a period of a week or so. The water was confirmed safe to drink on 4 July.
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