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Debbie Jamieson/Stuff
Queenstown has been under a boil water notice since September 19.
A Queenstown councillor and tourism operator says the town’s cryptosporidium outbreak should serve as a warning call to the rest of New Zealand.
“[Queenstown] has got some of the best quality water in the country … So if it can happen here, it can happen anywhere,” Matt Wong tells Stuff’s Newsable podcast this morning.
People in the tourism and holiday hotspot have been instructed to boil water for a week. There were at least 30 confirmed cases of the gastro bug yesterday – mostly people aged 15-39 – with a handful more still under investigation.
A team of public health officials from Te Whatu Ora is working alongside the Queenstown Lakes District Council to establish the source, but Wong says the task will be tough.
“The council has been testing the water regularly since the outbreak started and we still have not found cryptosporidium in the water supply,” Wong says.
Debbie Jamieson/Stuff
Matt Wong says it will be a challenge to pinpoint the source of gastro outbreak in Queenstown.
Nevertheless, the boil water notice needs to stay in place.
“The best precaution is to make sure that we put the community’s wellbeing first and treat it like it is there,” he adds.
Investigators are working to pinpoint trends in the outbreak.
“A heat map of positive cases’ places of residence and work shows most are from the CBD area,” Te Whatu Ora incident controller Lynette Finnie says, via statement.
Those who have been in Queenstown or Frankton since August 18, and have symptoms such as stomach cramps, are advised to contact their GP, or Healthline on 0800 611 116.
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