Northern Health and the City of Quesnel have cancelled a precautionary boil water notice after follow up testing showed no sign of Cryptosporidium in Well #9 in the Quesnel Water System.
An earlier, positive sample which prompted the June 3rd advisory was the result of proactive tests being done by the City, and was considered to be an isolated finding.
The risk of Cryptosporidium has been, and remains low in Quesnel. Over the past decade, the BC Centre for Disease Control has had an average of just 130 reports of the illness across the province each year. There were no cases reported in the Northern Interior of BC in 2009 (the last year for which full statistics are available) and it is not believed there have been any cases in the region since then.
Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosoridium hominis are parasites that infect the intestinal tract. Symptoms can include diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, mild fever and dehydration.
People with poorly functioning immune systems are at risk of more serious illness when they get
cryptosporidiosis. For that reason, the targeted precautionary BWN is for the people with weakened immune systems.
For more information on Cryptosporidium, and general drinking water safety, go to:
http://www.bccdc.ca/dis-cond/a-z/_c/Cryptosporidium/overview/Cryptosporidium.htm
http://northernhealth.ca/Your_Health/Programs/Public_Health_Protection/DrinkingWaterSafety
http://northernhealth.ca/Disinfectingdrinkingwater.asp
Media Contact: Dr. William Osei, NH Medical Health Officer - 250-565-7461
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