Private well owners in Mid-West told to test water over bacterial infections

The Department of Public Health Midwest has launched an awareness campaign to encourage people to test their well water every year and ensure they have appropriate protection and treatment systems in place.

Private well owners are being advised to test and treat their supplies regularly because of a high number of bacterial infections in the Mid-West.

The Department of Public Health Midwest has launched an awareness campaign to encourage people to test their well water every year and ensure they have appropriate protection and treatment systems in place.

The move comes as 1,250 cases of verotoxigenic e.coli (VTEC) were recorded in the Mid-West region over the past 10 years, with the highest number of cases (164) occurring in 2021.

The Mid-West region has one of the highest rates of VTEC in Ireland, while Ireland has one of the highest rates in Europe, according to the department.

VTEC is a type of bacteria that can cause stomach pains as well as diarrhoea, in some cases streaked with blood.

It can also cause a serious condition known as haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which causes the breakdown of red blood cells and kidney failure.

Between 5% and 10% of VTEC cases, particularly in children under the age of five and the elderly, will suffer from HUS, with some requiring dialysis. An estimated 5% of patients who develop this condition are at risk of death.

Difficult to pin down source

The department said it can often be difficult to pin down the original source of VTEC but gave an example of how an outbreak unfolds. In this case, a child under the age of five became ill due to VTEC after drinking contaminated water sourced from a private well.

The child’s mother is a healthcare worker, so she was considered as part of a risk group, and could not attend work due to being potentially exposed.

The child had been attending the local creche, and after other children at the facility fell ill, a VTEC outbreak was suspected. All the other children and the teacher in the infected child's room were excluded from the creche and screened for VTEC.

According to the department, a number of children and the teacher then tested positive, and an outbreak of VTEC was officially declared.

Those with confirmed VTEC cases were excluded from attending the creche until they were given the all-clear, and a multi-agency outbreak control team was formed to contain the outbreak.

Most of those affected returned to the creche after two weeks. However, one child’s condition deteriorated, and tests later confirmed they had developed HUS.

This child was admitted to an intensive care unit in a pediatric ward, where they made a slow recovery.