Don't Drink the Water!

For anyone who enjoys the outdoors and loves to hike or backpack, it might be tempting to stop by a babbling brook to take a long drink of cool, sparkling water, but don't! There is a very common bug out there, Giardia lamblia, that can make you sorry for tasting unpurified water. Giardia is a parasite that infects a lot of animals, including humans, and causes extreme abdominal cramping and diarrhea. It gets into water when infected animals defecate in or near the water. Symptoms don't generally occur right away, but take a week or more to manifest, therefore, it might be difficult to realize at first that a water supply is contaminated.

The giardia parasite gets into the body via contaminated water or food. The parent parasite produces an egg like cyst, which is ingested and once in the digestive system, it hatches and begins feeding on the mucous lining the stomach or intestine. This causes pain in the abdomen and soon, diarrhea occurs where the dislodged mucous is flushed out. This goes on for several weeks, or longer in a person with a weakened immune system or extra sensitivity, until the parasite reproduces asexually. It divides and is then excreted in the feces. In animals, this infected excrement can reinfect the water supply, and in humans, the parasites will end up in a sewage treatment plant. Hopefully, the disinfection process at the plant will kill the parasite before the water is discharged. Otherwise, the giardia could be released into the public water supply.

To prevent getting a giardia infection in the first place, it is recommended that hikers, backpackers or campers always bring their own water or thoroughly boil or disinfect water collected from streams or creeks. Sometimes, though, even boiling won't destroy the cysts. Filtration is needed to remove them from the water. The cysts can be inactive for several months after being passed out in the feces. Therefore, infected domestic or farm animals should be quarantined and their pastures keep isolated until for a few months before other animals are allowed in them. Giardia was first identified way back in 1681.

Once infected, a person should seek medical treatment right away and make sure to replace lost fluids with plenty of water or electrolytes. Studies have shown that once infected, a person is more likely to become reinfected, so everyone should be very careful to avoid outdoor water supplies.