Australia is facing its largest gastrointestinal outbreak in more than 20 years, with alarming numbers of toddlers falling ill.
The number of cases of cryptosporidiosis, a parasitic gastrointestinal disease, has increased dramatically, with four times as many people falling ill as in the whole of 2023.
A quarter of registered cases involve children under the age of four.
These tiny parasites are found in the feces of pets, farm animals and humans.
The disease is spread in several ways, including through contact with someone who is infected and by drinking milk or dairy products that have not been pasteurized.
People can also get the disease by swimming in contaminated water. Note that chlorine does not kill the parasite eggs.
The disease can cause diarrhea, fever, nausea, and vomiting. Some people take weeks to recover.
Dr Aileen Traves, vice-president of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners Queensland, said doctors had noticed a spike in infection rates, particularly among children.
Australia is facing its largest gastrointestinal outbreak in more than 20 years, with alarming numbers of toddlers falling ill
“It’s hard because there’s no treatment other than rest and staying hydrated. The most important thing we need people to do is stop it from spreading,” she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
There have been 11,747 cases of cryptosporidiosis recorded, compared to 3,716 in 2023.
The number of cases is the highest since the establishment of the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System in 2001.
Queensland is suffering the worst from the outbreak, with almost half of all Australian cases occurring in the Sunshine State.
The higher percentages are attributed to more people swimming in the state’s warmer climate.
According to Dr. Traves, people on vacation are more likely to continue swimming once symptoms have disappeared. However, infected people should wait 14 days to stop the spread of infection.
“It’s not an isolated problem. If people travel somewhere, an outbreak can spread very easily,” she said.
The disease can cause diarrhea, fever, nausea and vomiting — and it can take weeks for people to get better
Vincent Ho, a clinical academic gastroenterologist at Western Sydney University, said while there are occasional outbreaks, there will be fewer cases in the winter.
“We expect the numbers to go down, assuming there is no vector for spread,” he said.
According to Mr Ho, weather events such as major storms and floods spread the parasite, but droughts can also contribute to infection rates by increasing the concentration of the disease in rivers and dams.
The number of gastrointestinal complaints caused by bacteria such as salmonella, shigella and campylobacter has also increased.
In the first six months of 2024, that number was almost 41,500. That is a worrying figure, because in the whole of 2023 there were 61,320.
To avoid stomach upset, residents are advised to wash their hands thoroughly, especially after touching animals, not to drink unfiltered water and not to swim after a heavy rain.