Draft:Devon cryptosporidiosis outbreak

In May 2024, an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis, a parasitic waterborne illness, started in Brixham in south Devon, England. As of 24 May 2024, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has reported 77 cases of the illness, with many more reporting symptoms. Following South West Water's (SWW) distribution of boil water notices to 17,000 properties in Torbay on 15 May, all affected customers were automatically paid £215 in compensation, costing Pennon, the owners of SWW, £3.5 million.

Timeline

On 14 May 2024, the outbreak was first reported by the media with sixteen cases of cryptosporidiosis being confirmed in Brixham by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). The agency said a further 70 people reported diarrhoea and vomiting in the town and said it was working with Torbay Council, South West Water (SWW), NHS Devon and the Environment Agency to investigate the cases. They also said investigations into the source were ongoing and that cases were likely to rise. SWW advised customers to use their water as normal and reviewed the operation of their water treatment works which showed no issues.

The next day the number of reported cases had rose to 22, with small traces of cryptosporidium being detected in the drinking supply around Brixham the previous night. Following the detection of the organism in a section of their network, SWW issued a boil water notice to residents in Alston and the Hillhead area of Brixham, advising them to boil their tap water before consuming. The company said bottled water stations were being set up and also told people in Boohay, Kingswear, north-west Paignton and Roseland not to drink tap water unless it had been boiled. The head of water quality at SWW, Chris Rockey, told the BBC that people should boil water to drink, cook and clean their teeth with in the affected areas and said he was unable to provide a timeframe for how long the water boiling would last. The company said that customers who were issued with the boiling notice will receive an automatic payment of £15. Conservative MP for Totnes, Anthony Mangnall, said SWW's delayed response was "enormously frustrating" and criticised their initial denial. SWW added it was "urgently investigating" and apologised for the inconvenience. Torbay Council and Devon County Council passed on SWW's advice to residents in Brixham, Broadsands, Churston, Galmpton, Hookhills, Kingswear and White Rock on their websites following the detection of cryptosporidium.

On 16 May, up to 100 people had reported symptoms to their GPs in the space of a week and a primary school in Brixham closed, saying running a school without drinking water was "not possible". SWW said they were investigating the Hillhead reservoir and the wider Alston area - an area which supplies 40,000 residents' water - as a potential cause for the outbreak. Paul Hunter, a specialist in microbiology and infectious disease at the University of East Anglia, said cases would continue to climb even after the source was found as it can take up to 10 days before people become ill from cryptosporidium. SWW's initial compensation payment of £15 was raised by £100 to £115, which they confirmed would be automatically paid into customers' accounts. Director of Visit Devon expressed her concern for the future of tourism in the area, saying that the national media coverage could have a knock on effect to bookings and worried that people may look at Devon rather than just Brixham and Paignton and avoid the area for the time being.

On 17 May the number of reported cases rose to 46 whilst around 70 other cases of diarrhoea and and vomiting were under investigation by the UKHSA. SWW's chief customer officer Laura Flowerdew refused to give a timeline on the incident and said that a faulty valve may have allowed the parasite into the water network, causing the outbreak. A spokeswoman for Downing Street announced that the incident would be "investigated thoroughly" by the Drinking Water Inspectorate and UKHSA. 16,000 homes and businesses remained unable to use their tap water following the boil water notice issued two days prior as SWW's CEO Susan Davy said she was "truly sorry" for the crisis and admitted the company had "fallen significantly short". The company said that investigations and testing were continuing and said they had distributed 129,000 two litre bottles of water. NHS Torbay asked those with vomiting or diarrhoea symptoms to stay at home and drink plenty of water. In Brixham, a business owner said the outbreak had "destroyed" his business as tourists were making cancellations, and cars were seen queueing for over half a mile at a bottled water collection point. A warning was issued by SWW regarding scamming after some customers reported recieving calls regarding their compensation.

References

Category:2020s in Devon Category:2024 disasters in the United Kingdom Category:2024 disease outbreaks Category:Brixham Devon Category:Disasters in Devon Category:Disease outbreaks in England Category:May 2024 events in the United Kingdom