Personal Injury Law

Small Town In Iowa Gets Ready To Fight Crypto

Cresco, Iowa, population 3,905, located in Howard County on the border with Minnesota is one of those picture post card sort of small towns.   The Times Plain Dealer is a weekly newspaper that publishes on Wednesdays with a solid site on the web.

Sometimes its the small places that step up to big challenges.   Cresco is stepping up the fight against Cryptosporidium.  Times Dealer reporter Sara Daehn writes this week about the battle.

Record high cases of infections by the parasite Cryptosporidium throughout Iowa in 2007 and 2008 have prompted Cresco Fitness Center officials to discuss a plan in the event of a local outbreak.

Fitness center employees are working with Community Health Services/Howard County Public Health officials to develop the plan as well as ways to prevent an outbreak from occurring.

One of the most common waterborne diseases, Cryptosporidium, commonly known as crypto, is easily spread in recreational water, such as pools and rivers. The parasite is one of several Recreational Water Illnesses. Others include Giardia, Shigella and E. coli.

Although Howard County did not have any documented cases of Crypto in 2007 or so far in 2008, local officials agree it’s best to be prepared.

Crypto struck 937 Iowans last year.  Most were age 4 and under.

Full post as published by Cryptosporidium Blog on May 21, 2008 (boomark / email).