San Francisco: Cryptosporidiosis Water Warning

On December 19 the San Francisco Health Commission voted unanimously to order the San Francisco Department of Public Health to "inform persons who are immunocompromised about the risks of drinking untreated San Francisco tap water," and to take other measures to protect public health, due to cryptosporidium parasite in the water. Cryptosporidium causes cryptosporidiosis, characterized by severe diarrhea; persons with a healthy immune system usually recover in one to two weeks, but for persons with severe immune deficiencies, the infection can be life threatening. According to a fact sheet from the California Department of Health Services, persons with a serious immune system problem should use distilled or properly boiled water; but the low levels of cryptosporidium found in California public drinking water systems should not be a health concern to the general public.

The San Francisco alert resulted from work by AIDS activists, who have intensively studied this issue--not from the city AIDS office. "The Health Commission overruled the bureaucrats running the AIDS office and admitted that there is a problem," commented ACT UP Golden Gate member Bill Thorne.

For more information, contact ACT UP Golden Gate, 415/252-9200, or fax 415/252-9277. ACT UP Golden Gate has prepared a report, CRYPTOSPORIDIUM: CURRENT ISSUES IN BIOLOGY, LAW, MEDICINE, AND WATER QUALITY, by Rob Sabados, which is available for a $5 suggested donation.