Parasite outbreak: 57 cases confirmed in Devon
There have been 57 confirmed cases of people affected by a parasite outbreak in Devon, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) says.
The agency said more cases were expected to continue to be confirmed over the coming days as samples were processed.
It is believed a damaged air valve on private land was the cause of the outbreak of the waterborne disease cryptosporidium, South West Water (SWW) said.
The owner of SWW, the Pennon Group, said it could pay out up to £3.5m in compensation to customers affected by the issue.
Infection prevention measures
The government said 16,000 properties in Brixham had been issued boil water notices, and two people have been taken to hospital as a result of the outbreak.
The UKHSA said it could take between two and 10 days for people to become unwell after being exposed.
Sarah Bird, consultant in health protection for UKHSA South West said she wanted to "reassure the public" work was continuing to "control this outbreak".
She said: “South West Water have identified the likely source of the outbreak and are working hard to resolve the issue.
“As with any other sickness bug, it is really important to follow good infection prevention measures, such as handwashing with hot soapy water, as alcohol hand gel is not enough to kill cryptosporidium.
"This will prevent further cases spreading from person to person through the community."
She added those with symptoms should stay home for 48 hours since the last episode of illness, and anyone with diarrhoea should not go swimming for 14 days after their last episode of illness.
Dr Lincoln Sargeant, Torbay Council’s director of public health, added: “For those areas still subject to the boil water notice, we continue to support local businesses to operate safely.
"It is important to emphasise that the outbreak has only affected a small area of Torbay and we remain open for business."
'Lack of confidence'
Laura Jury is a Brixham resident who lives in the area without the boil water notice.
However, her theatre company, South Devon Players, is in the affected area, and said ticket sales were down as a result.
She said: "It's really affected us, our ticket sales are down by about 90% for our show coming up.
"There's a lack of confidence for things with local businesses."
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