What's In Your Water

By Tony Vega

Early 1993, Milwaukee, Wisconsin had the largest waterborne-disease outbreak (WBDO) ever documented in the United States.

During this time frame two outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis occurred in large metropolitan areas, Milwaukee and Las Vegas/Clark County, and were associated with deaths among immunocompromised persons. The waterborne nature of these two outbreaks was not recognized until at least 2 weeks after the onset of the Milwaukee outbreak and until after the end of the Las Vegas outbreak. [1]

In Milwaukee, cattle were suspected to be the cause of the WBDO. It was theorized that melting snow from a local farm carried cow feces into the water supply. For approximately 10-years there was no definitive answer for the outbreak....until now.

Read More: What's in Your Water?