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A statewide outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in New South Wales associated with swimming at public pools

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 July 2001

M. C. PUECH ,
J. M. McANULTY ,
M. LESJAK ,
N. SHAW ,
L. HERON  and
J. M. WATSON
M. C. PUECH
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Westmead NSW 2145, Australia
J. M. McANULTY
Affiliation:
Communicable Diseases Surveillance and Control Unit, Public Health Division, NSW Health Department
M. LESJAK
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Westmead NSW 2145, Australia
N. SHAW
Affiliation:
General Environmental Health Unit, Public Health Division, NSW Health Department
L. HERON
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Community Medicine, Westmead Hospital, Westmead NSW 2145, Australia
J. M. WATSON
Affiliation:
NSW Health Department; currently, Consultant Epidemiologist, PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, London, UK
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Abstract

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From December 1997 to April 1998, 1060 laboratory-confirmed cryptosporidiosis cases were reported in New South Wales, Australia. In a case-control study, compared with 200 controls, the 100 cases were younger (mean age 4·2 versus 7·1 years; P < 0·0001), more likely to report swimming at a public pool (59% versus 38%; adjusted OR and 95% CI = 2·7; 1·4–5·1) and swimming in a dam, river or lake (OR = 4·8; 1·1–20·3) but less likely to report drinking bottled water (OR = 0·4; 0·2–0·9). In subgroup analyses, in rural areas illness was associated mainly with contact with another person with diarrhoea, and in urban areas illness was associated with swimming in a public pool. Cryptosporidium oocysts were more commonly detected in pools to which at least two notified cases had swum (P = 0·04). Outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis can be prolonged, involve multiple pools and be difficult to control.

Type
Research Article
Information
Epidemiology & Infection , Volume 126 , Issue 3 , June 2001 , pp. 389 - 396
Copyright
© 2001 Cambridge University Press