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Haute-Loire: 600 cases of gastroenteritis in the same area, tap water suspected
What happened in two communes in Haute-Loire, where more than 650 cases of gastroenteritis were detected in one week in the same area? An investigation points to running water as the probable source of the epidemic.
(France 2)
What happened in two communes in Haute-Loire, where more than 650 cases of gastroenteritis were detected in one week in the same area? An investigation points to running water as the probable source of the epidemic.
Jean-Paul has been refusing to drink tap water for two weeks. His fear is that he will get sick, like he did ten days ago. “I drank a glass of water to take pills Monday morning“, he says, specifying that he then stayed in bed all day Wednesday. In Saint-Didier-en-Velay, the small village in Haute-Loire where Jean-Paul lives, many residents have contracted gastroenteritis after drinking tap water.
Irene, an 80-year-old retiree, even had to be hospitalized. She admits to being very scared. More than 650 people suffered the same symptoms in the same week, in the same area.
Alerted, the Regional Health Agency conducted an investigation to find the cause of this epidemic. The results point “towards the hypothesis of contamination of the water network of these two municipalities”, explains the report. Contacted, Veolia assures that it is working with the State services to find the origin of any possible pollution. The ARS affirms that the water is once again passable in Haute-Loire.