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Surveillance for Waterborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water — United States, 2013–2014
Citation:
Benedict, K., H. Reses, M. Vigar, D. Roth, V. Roberts, M. Mattioli, L. Cooley, E D Hilborn, Tim J Wade, K. Fullerton, J. Yoder, AND V. Hill. Surveillance for Waterborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water — United States, 2013–2014. MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY WEEKLY REPORT. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Washington, DC, 66(44):1216-1221, (2017). https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6644a3
Impact/Purpose:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention collects, summarizes and reports out every 2 years on voluntarily submitted reports of drinking waterborne disease outbreaks from states and US territories. These summary reports are useful to understand emerging issues as well as trends over time in waterborne disease and are of interest to the Office of water.
Description:
Provision of safe water in the United States is important for protecting public health (1). Public health agencies in the U.S. states and territories* report information on waterborne disease outbreaks to CDC through the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS) (http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/surveillance/index.html). For 2013-2014, 42 drinking water–associated¶ outbreaks were reported, accounting for at least 1,006 cases of illness, 124 hospitalizations, and 13 deaths. Legionella was associated with 57% of these outbreaks and all of the deaths. Sixty-nine percent of the reported illnesses occurred in four outbreaks in which the etiology was determined to be either a chemical/toxin or Cryptosporidium. Drinking water contamination events can cause disruptions in water service, large impacts on public health, and persistent community concern about drinking water quality. Effective water treatment, regulations, and rapid response to illness reports continue to protect public drinking water supplies in the United States by reducing the transmission of infectious pathogens, harmful chemicals and toxins.
URLs/Downloads:
DOI: Surveillance for Waterborne Disease Outbreaks Associated with Drinking Water — United States, 2013–2014