§ Dr. CunninghamTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what were the total numbers of incidents and cases of waterborne disease in the United Kingdom since 1979.
§ Mr. Freeman[holding answer 28 February 1989]: The figures are not available in precisely the form sought, but during the ten years 1977–86 there were 15 recorded outbreaks of waterborne disease in the United Kingdom comprising 5,955 cases and no deaths. Subsequent observations have indicated that this is likely to be an underestimate.
During the years 1987 and 1988 a further four outbreaks in England and Wales were reported to the PHLS communicable disease surveillance centre. Three of these were due to campylobacter; two outbreaks affecting over 36 people were associated with consumption of stream/spring water and in the other incident, when several people were taken ill at a youth hostel, organisms were found in the well water. The fourth outbreak, comprising at least 77 cases, was due to cryptosporidium and was associated with a swimming pool.
I am sending to the hon. Member an extract from a published paper which gives further details of outbreaks of waterborne disease in the United Kingdom from 1937.