Water parasite infection figures revised - study

A report found 143 people had cryptosporidiosis during the outbreak in 2024

An annual report has found 143 people were confirmed to have had cryptosporidiosis during an outbreak in Devon in May 2024, with four hospitalisations.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) previously confirmed 126 cases during the incident.

The revised figure of 143 includes lab-confirmed cases.

Sarah Bird, consultant in health protection at UKHSA South West, said a study to estimate the impact of the outbreak in South Devon in 2024 would be published once a Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) investigation was complete.

The report's authors said 'typing' was used to determine the source and routes of infections and differentiate between individual isolates of the same microorganism.

'Very rare'

Thousands of home and businesses across Devon were affected by the outbreak.

"Drinking water outbreaks are very rare in the UK," Ms Bird said.

"However, cryptosporidiosis is not an uncommon infection and can be picked up from lots of different sources."

Ms Bird said in most cases the symptoms, which include abdominal pain and diarrhoea, go after a few days.

"However, in some cases, cryptosporidiosis can be unpleasant with diarrhoea lasting for several weeks," she said.