On the 15th of May 2024, the UK Health Security Agency confirmed an outbreak of Cryptosporidium in the Brckom area of South Devon in the UK. Cryptosporidium is a parasite, a tiny organism that causes an illness or disease called cryptosporidiosis. The outbreak, which at the time of making this video has been confirmed in over 22 people, is thought to be due to contaminated water from a reservoir serving about 40,000 residents. However, it can also be contracted from contact with animal manure, often occurring when people visit farms and then don't wash their hands properly.

In this video, we’re going to cover symptoms, how to avoid getting it and passing it on to others, as well as how to treat it. And as ever, I’ve included extra trusted resources in the description box of this video.

Let’s start off with the potential symptoms of cryptosporidiosis. Symptoms can include watery diarrhea, stomach pains, nausea or vomiting, low-grade fever, and loss of appetite, which can lead to dehydration and weight loss. Symptoms usually last for about two weeks, but they can be longer, especially in people with weak immune systems or in children under the age of five. These two groups of people are therefore classed as high risk, and extra precautions should be taken to avoid catching it.

During the illness, you might think that you’re getting better and have shaken off the infection, but then it returns a couple of days later before you fully recover. The symptoms are similar to many other tummy bugs. The only way to know if you have Cryptosporidium is for a doctor to ask for a sample of your feces to be sent to a lab for testing.

So how do you avoid getting it and passing it on? Well, the following steps are really important. Firstly, and I can’t stress this enough, it’s crucial that you wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water, especially before preparing and eating food, after handling raw food, and after going to the toilet or changing a baby’s nappy. Also, do this after working with, feeding, grooming, or playing with pets and other animals.

In the case of the recent outbreak in the affected areas of South Devon, because the infection source is thought to be in the water supply, residents are being urged to boil their water before drinking it, using it to brush their teeth, or to prepare food. Bottled water stations have also been set up in affected areas for this reason. For those living in the affected area, it’s important not to drink untreated water until the source is found and confirmed. You should also avoid swallowing water in lakes and swimming pools as an extra precaution. Unboiled water is still okay to wash your body with and flush your toilet.

Cryptosporidiosis is highly infectious, so you need to be very clean around your home. For at least 48 hours after your symptoms stop, you’re infectious to other people while you are ill and have symptoms. This means you should wash all your dirty clothes, bedding, and towels on the hottest possible cycle of the washing machine. Make sure that everyone has their own towel and that they don’t use anybody else’s. Clean toilet seats, toilet bowls, flush handles, taps, and wash hand basins after you’ve used them with detergent and hot water followed by a household disinfectant.

It’s also important, like I mentioned, not to go swimming or to take your child swimming while suffering from diarrhea and for at least two weeks after the diarrhea has stopped. Don’t prepare food for others until you’ve been symptom-free for at least 48 hours. You can pass Cryptosporidium on in your feces for several weeks, even if you no longer have symptoms, which is why thorough hand washing is so important.

So now let’s cover how to treat cryptosporidiosis. While there’s no specific treatment, most people with a healthy immune system will recover within about a month. It’s important to drink plenty of fluids, as diarrhea or vomiting can lead to dehydration, and you can lose important sugars and minerals from your body. While you’re ill and have symptoms, you are infectious and should stay off work and school. You shouldn’t return to work or school until you’ve been free from diarrhea or vomiting for 48 hours. You should also tell your employer if you’ve had cryptosporidiosis if you work with vulnerable groups such as the young, the elderly, those in poor health, or if you handle food as part of your job.

While this outbreak is ongoing in Devon, the UK Health Security Agency is looking for the specific source of the infection so they can help prevent other people from becoming infected. For more information, please see the UK Health Security Agency website.

If you’re looking to scale your medical brand on YouTube or are interested in sponsoring our videos with your products, feel free to book a consultation. Together, we can make a difference in public health awareness.