Waterborne Illness

Waterborne Illness

The following assignment options require you to assess a salmonella outbreak in Alamosa, Colorado, including the effectiveness of response, the cause, and any lessons learned. By better understanding this event, you may understand what is involved in maintaining and providing safe drinking water and how to prevent waterborne disease outbreaks.

Read the reports and watch the videos provided on the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Alamosa Salmonella Outbreak March–April 2008 webpage (https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/cdphe/drinking-water-public-health-incidents).

Alamosa Outbreak Worksheet

Complete the following questions. Respond with 100- to 150-word answers to each question. The entire assignment must contain 800 to 1,050 words.

Which microorganisms were responsible for the disease outbreak? What were the general illness symptoms and which portions of the population were most affected?

What violations of the Safe Drinking Water Act of 1974 were involved in the incident?

Are the regulations of the Safe Drinking Water Act adequate to provide safe drinking water? Why or why not? What are the important aspects of implementing the regulations related to this case?

Which type of source water supply—groundwater or surface water—was used in Alamosa, and why is knowing the type of water supplied crucial to understanding this event?

Which other programs helped aid in the quick recovery in Alamosa? Why were they helpful?

Discuss the suspected cause of the outbreak. How does this relate to wildlife and the natural water cycle?

What are the key factors involved in preventing waterborne disease outbreaks?

What do you think were some of the community impacts associated with this outbreak? How did this event impact the local economy?

Citations / References – Use at least three (3) references – Content link (above), course textbook, plus one (1) or more external resources