A fatal waterborne disease epidemic in Walkerton, Ontario: comparison with other waterborne outbreaks in the developed world

An estimated 2,300 people became seriously ill and seven died from exposure to microbially contaminated drinking water in the town of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada in May 2000. The severity of this drinking water disaster resulted in the Government of Ontario calling a public inquiry by Mr. Justice Den...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Water science and technology 2003-01, Vol.47 (3), p.7-14
Main Authors: HRUDEY, S. E, PAYMENT, P, HUCK, P. M, GILLHAM, R. W, HRUDEY, E. J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Air. Soil. Water. Waste. Feeding
Applied sciences
Biological and medical sciences
Campylobacter jejuni - isolation & purification
Campylobacter jejuni - pathogenicity
Canada, Ontario, Walkerton
Case Studies
Developing Countries
Disease Outbreaks
Drinking water
Drinking water and swimming-pool water. Desalination
Environment. Living conditions
Epidemics
Escherichia coli Infections - etiology
Escherichia coli Infections - mortality
Escherichia coli O157 - isolation & purification
Escherichia coli O157 - pathogenicity
Exact sciences and technology
Fatalities
Humans
Medical sciences
Ontario
Outbreaks
Policies
Pollution
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Public policy
Retrospective Studies
Risk Assessment
Safety management
Security
Security Measures
Water Microbiology
Water pollution
Water security
Water Supply
Water treatment and pollution
Waterborne diseases
Citations: Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:An estimated 2,300 people became seriously ill and seven died from exposure to microbially contaminated drinking water in the town of Walkerton, Ontario, Canada in May 2000. The severity of this drinking water disaster resulted in the Government of Ontario calling a public inquiry by Mr. Justice Dennis O'Connor to address the cause of the outbreak, the role (if any) of government policies in contributing to this outbreak and, ultimately, the implications of this experience on the safety of drinking water across the Province of Ontario. The circumstances surrounding the Walkerton tragedy are an important reference source for those concerned with providing safe drinking water. Although some circumstances are obviously specific to this epidemic, others are uncomfortably reminiscent of waterborne outbreaks that have occurred elsewhere. These recurring themes suggested the need for attention to broad issues of drinking water security and they present the challenge for how drinking water safety can be managed to prevent such tragedies in the future.
ISSN:0273-1223
1996-9732
DOI:10.2166/wst.2003.0146