Waterborne outbreak in a rural area in Greece during the COVID-19 pandemic: Contribution of community pharmacies

Introduction: On 15 June 2020, the National Public Health Organization was informed about the identification of two cases of Escherichia coli Ο157 infection in a small town in the Peloponnese Region in Greece and we suspected an outbreak. Methods: We asked the local pharmacist to assist us to verify...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Rural and remote health 2021-07, Vol.21 (3), p.1-5
Main Authors: Mellou, Kassiani, Sideroglou, Theologia, Kefaloudi, Chrysovalanti, Tryfinopoulou, Kyriaki, Chrysostomou, Anthi, Mandilara, Georgia, Pavlaki, Maria, Maltezou, Helena C
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Case-control method
case-control study
Chlorine
community pharmacies
Consent
Coronaviruses
COVID-19
COVID-19 (Disease)
Diarrhea
Drinking water
Drug stores
E coli
Epidemics
Gastroenteritis
Greece
Hypotheses
Laboratories
Local population
Outbreaks
over-the-counter anti-diarrheal drugs
Pandemics
Pathogens
Pharmacists
Prevention
Public health
Residual chlorine
Rural areas
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2
Water analysis
Water consumption
Water conveyance
Water sampling
Water supply
Waterborne diseases
Waterborne infection
waterborne outbreak
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Summary:Introduction: On 15 June 2020, the National Public Health Organization was informed about the identification of two cases of Escherichia coli Ο157 infection in a small town in the Peloponnese Region in Greece and we suspected an outbreak. Methods: We asked the local pharmacist to assist us to verify the outbreak by providing the daily number of over-the-counter antidiarrheal drugs sold from 20 May 2020 onwards. The pharmacist asked customers with gastroenteritis to submit stool samples at the local hospital. Samples were tested for 22 pathogens. We conducted a 1 : 1 case-control study. Cases and controls were retrieved from the pharmacy client list. Chlorination records of the water supply system were retrieved, and water samples were tested for microbiological indicators and viruses. Results: The increased number of sales of anti-diarrheal drugs verified the outbreak. Overall, 58 cases and 57 controls were recruited for the study. Tap water consumption (odds ratio (OR)=10.9, 95% confidence interval (CI)=3.1-38.0, p
ISSN:1445-6354
1445-6354
DOI:10.22605/RRH6630