High E coli count found in Shilin residents’ water

After conducting a survey of 509 households affected in Xishan Borough, the health department found that 105 people had sought medical treatment

A total of 165 residents of Xishan Borough (溪山) in Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) have reported vomiting or other gastrointestinal symptoms since April 2, the Taipei Department of Health said yesterday, while the Water Department said water samples from a water source in the borough and a local elementary school showed large amounts of Escherichia coli

bacteria that exceeded the safety standard.

The Taipei Water Department on Thursday said that it received a report from the borough warden on Monday about dozens of residents living in the same water source area having experienced vomiting or diarrhea recently, so it conducted an inspection that day, which found higher-thanusual counts of E coli.

It said the affected households used untreated spring water collected from their self-built water source system, not treated tap water supplied by the department. As the water was found to have high counts of E coli

which exceeded the drinking water standard, the department instructed them to boil the water if it is used for bathing or washing food ingredients or containers.

Five temporary stands have been set up in the borough to provide residents with clean water, the water department said on Friday.

The health department said yesterday that it had been conducting a survey of all 594 households in Xishan Borough and had finished visiting 508 households as of 9pm on Friday, and 165 people in 65 households had reported vomiting, diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms since April 2.

Among them, 105 people sought medical treatment, while 60 people only self-observed their health, and none of them developed serious symptoms or were hospitalized, it said.

The health department said Taipei City Hospital’s Yangming branch on Thursday evening dispatched a medical team to the village office to offer medical services, and it opened an acute gastroenteritis outpatient clinic at the hospital on Friday, which is to be available through Saturday, except today.

Xishan Borough residents who feel discomfort or have gastrointestinal symptoms are advised to seek medical attention at the designated clinic, it said.

The Water Department said yesterday that while the water sample collected from the selfbuilt water source area on Monday was tested and found to have an E coli count of 3,900 MPN/100ml, another sample collected on Wednesday had an coli count of 1,700 MPN/100ml and the latest sample collected on Friday resulted in an E coli count of 2,400 MPN/100ml, all relatively high.

Additional water samples were collected from two other locations in the self-built water source area, and at the local Taipei Xishan Experimental Elementary School on Friday, it said, adding that the two samples were found to have E coli counts of 5,800 MPN/100ml and 1,400 MPN/100ml.

Water at the elementary school is treated with UV light, but it was still found to have an E coli count of 86 MPN/100ml, which is still higher than the drinking water standard, the water department said, adding that it had sent experts to assist in disinfecting and treating the water at the self-built water source system yesterday.

The maximum acceptable concentration of E coli in drinking water is 6 MPN/100ml.

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