Spike fires illness alert
TOWNSVILLE residents are being urged to remain on high alert amid a spike in floodrelated illnesses.
Townsville Public Health Unit acting director Dr Julie Mudd said there had been a slight increase in cases of cryptosporidium, a gastrointestinal disease that can cause diarrhoea, nausea and even vomiting.
“It’s another one of the bugs that can get into floodwater … it has a tendency to get into swimming pools,” Dr Mudd said.
“If you’re cleaning up your pool, even if your pool was unaffected, you need to be rechecking the water quality before you allow yourself or your family to swim,” she said.
Dr Mudd has urged residents with home swimming pools to check their chlorine levels as a person can contract the illness after swallowing small amounts of water while swimming.
The parasite can also be contracted through person-toperson contact and the handling of infected pets or their faeces.
There have been 16 confirmed cases of cryptosporidium across the Townsville Hospital and Health Service this year.
While it is a very common illness that is found worldwide and year-round, it tends to favour certain people.
“Like all our other illnesses, there are some people in our community who would be at higher risk … very young, very old and people with chronic disease. It is what we call selflimited; it will resolve on its own although it may take a couple of weeks in some people.”
Dr Mudd said cryptosporidium would be an unpleasant illness but not dangerous for most people.
As residents return to their flood-ravaged homes, an additional three cases of melioidosis were reported during the weekend, bringing the total number of recent cases to 13, including a fatality in Townsville.
“We have continued to see a few cases, not the sudden onset of cases that we saw initially,” Dr Mudd said.
“A couple of the people who were initially affected are doing well and we are starting to look at being able to discharge them.”
Dr Mudd said only one case, a patient being treated at Mount Isa hospital, was considered serious.
She said most young, fit and healthy people were not at risk of melioidosis.