Cryptosporidium in Water Supplies
Rt Hon John Prescott MP
Deputy Prime Minister and Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions
Eland House
Bressenden Place
London SW1E 5DU
Rt Hon Frank Dobson MP
Secretary of State for Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London SW1A 2NSNovember 1998
Dear Secretaries of State
I have pleasure in submitting the Report of the Group of Experts onCryptosporidium in water which was reconvened in response to an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis in north west London and Hertfordshire in March 1997.
We took as our starting base the information contained in the two Reports of the Group of Experts under the chairmanship of the late Sir John Badenoch. These Reports remain applicable to the problem of Cryptosporidium in water supplies. Indeed, as we evaluated waterborne outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis the relevance of many of the recommendations became highly apparent. Incidents do not just happen. There appears to be a strong correlation between outbreaks and situations where an inadequacy was identified in the treatment provided or in the operation of the treatment process, or where there was overloading of the treatment process. Furthermore the emphasis which these Reports placed on regular and close collaboration between the water utilities, the local authorities and the health authorities remains pertinent to supplying high quality water to the community and maintaining public confidence.
We paid particular attention to the issue of groundwater under the influence of surface water, a topic which had not received such prominence in the previous reports, because of its relevance to more recent outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis. The Group has made specific recommendations on risk assessment for groundwater sources.
During our consultations and discussions it became apparent that there is some confusion amongst professionals involved in the water utilities and public health over the functions of Incident Management Teams and Outbreak Control Teams which form the basis for anticipating, identifying and managing incidents and outbreaks involving Cryptosporidium in water supplies. We hope that the functions of these Teams have been clarified and elaborated in this Report.
A number of other issues related to Cryptosporidium in water emerged and have been included in this Report, such as the need for high quality epidemiology when investigating outbreaks, water obtained from private water supplies, the risk posed to immunocompromised persons and Cryptosporidium in natural waters and beverages.
The Report has been written in a format which permits many of its sections to be issued as stand-alone documents or pamphlets, for example the Guidance on Epidemiological Investigations, Advice on the Management of Waterborne Outbreaks of Cryptosporidiosis and advice to Immunocompromised Persons.I am most grateful to my colleagues who gave up so much time to the work of the Group; our meetings were always vigorous, stimulating and productive. Mr Michael Rouse of the Drinking Water Inspectorate and Dr Ailsa Wight of the Department of Health provided a great deal of helpful advice. I should also like to thank Dr Peter Gosling from the Department of Health and in particular Mr David Drury from the Drinking Water Inspectorate who worked so diligently and effectively on the production of the Report.
I am sending a copy of this letter to the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Secretary of State for Wales, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and to the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food.
Ian A D Bouchier
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