scholarly journals The microbiological quality of seven large commercial private water supplies in the United Kingdom

2007 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 523-538 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Kay ◽  
A. P. Wyn-Jones ◽  
C. M. Stapleton ◽  
L. Fewtrell ◽  
M. D. Wyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Food Production ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Raw Water ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk

Some 1% of the UK population derives their potable water from 140,000 private water supplies (PWSs) regulated by Local Authorities. The overwhelming majority of these are very small domestic supplies serving a single property or a small number of properties. Treatment for such supplies is rudimentary or non-existent and their microbiological quality has been shown to be poor in every published study to date. Private water supplies serving commercial enterprises such as hotels, restaurants, food production premises and factories are more frequently treated and subject to closer regulation in the United Kingdom. As a result, it has been assumed that these larger commercial supplies are less likely to experience elevated faecal indicator and pathogen concentrations at the consumer tap which have been observed at small domestic supplies. This paper reports on intensive monitoring at seven commercial private water supplies (six of which were treated) spread throughout the UK serving hotels, holiday parks and food production enterprises. Daily sampling of ‘potable’ water, both at the consumer tap and using large volume filtration for Giardia and Cryptosporidium spp. was conducted over two six week periods in the spring and autumn of 2000. This allowed the effects of short term episodic peaks in faecal indicator and pathogen concentration to be quantified. All the supplies experienced intermittent pathogen presence and only one, a chlorinated deep borehole supply, fully complied with UK water quality regulations during both periods of sampling. Poor microbiological water quality typically followed periods of heavy rainfall. This suggests that the design and installation of such systems should be undertaken only after the likely range of raw water quality has been characterised, which requires a thorough understanding of the effects of flow and seasonality on raw water quality. There is no reason to suspect that the monitored sites are uncharacteristic of other commercial supplies and the results reinforce public health concerns related to domestic supplies. Furthermore, the pattern of contamination is highly episodic, commonly lasting only a few days. Thus, the relatively infrequent regulatory monitoring of such supplies would be unlikely to identify the poor water quality episodes and does not provide the data necessary for public health protection. Although some statistical relationship was found between faecal indicator organisms and the presence of pathogens, the use of FIOs in assessments of regulatory compliance may not always provide a reliable measure of public health risk, i.e. indicator absence does not preclude pathogen presence. The results of this study suggest that a risk assessment system similar to the WHO ‘Water Safety Planning’ approach might offer a more appropriate regulatory paradigm for private water supplies.

scholarly journals A unique measles B3 cluster in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands linked to air travel and transit at a large international airport, February to April 2014

2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (13) ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Nic Lochlainn ◽  
Sema Mandal ◽  
Rita de Sousa ◽  
Karthik Paranthaman ◽  
Rob van Binnendijk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Virus Strain ◽  
Measles Virus ◽  
The Philippines ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Public Health Officials ◽  
The Uk ◽  
In Transit

This report describes a joint measles outbreak investigation between public health officials in the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands following detection of a measles cluster with a unique measles virus strain. From 1 February to 30 April 2014, 33 measles cases with a unique measles virus strain of genotype B3 were detected in the UK and the Netherlands, of which nine secondary cases were epidemiologically linked to an infectious measles case travelling from the Philippines. Through a combination of epidemiological investigation and sequence analysis, we found that measles transmission occurred in flight, airport and household settings. The secondary measles cases included airport workers, passengers in transit at the same airport or travelling on the same flight as the infectious case and also household contacts. This investigation highlighted the particular importance of measles genotyping in identifying transmission networks and the need to improve vaccination, public health follow-up and management of travellers and airport staff exposed to measles.

Microbiological Quality of Ready-to-Eat Food Served in Schools in Wales, United Kingdom

2009 ◽  
Vol 72 (1) ◽  
pp. 197-201 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. J. MELDRUM ◽  
P. T. MANNION ◽  
J. GARSIDE ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Staphylococcus Aureus ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Clostridium Perfringens ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Laboratory Service ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Quality Of Food

A survey of the general microbiological quality of ready-to-eat food served in schools was undertaken across Wales, United Kingdom. Of the 2,351 samples taken, four were identified as containing unsatisfactory counts of Escherichia coli, four contained unsatisfactory counts of Staphylococcus aureus, and one contained an unacceptable count of Bacillus cereus when compared with guidelines for the microbiological quality of ready-to-eat food published by the United Kingdom Public Health Laboratory Service in 2000. No samples contained detectable levels of Salmonella, Listeria species, or Clostridium perfringens. When compared with data on the general microbiological quality of food available in Wales, the food sampled from schools was of relatively better microbiological quality.

scholarly journals Mapping, Assessing and Improving Legal Preparedness for Pandemic Flu in the United Kingdom

2009 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Graeme T. Laurie ◽  
Kathryn G. Hunter
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Essential Feature ◽  
Legal Framework ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Legal Provisions ◽  
The Face ◽  
International Obligations ◽  
Pandemic Flu ◽  
The Uk

This article assesses the legal framework within which responses are deployed in the United Kingdom in the face of a pandemic such as the current H1N1 crisis or some other public health emergency. It begins with an account of the importance of legal preparedness as an essential feature of public health preparedness. It moves to an outline of the key legal provisions and parameters which provide the architecture for the existing framework in the UK, both domestically and internationally; thereafter, it identifies relevant factors that can be used to assess the efficacy of current legal preparedness, drawing on comparative experiences. Finally, it offers recommendations on how legal preparedness could be improved within the United Kingdom and in line with international obligations.

Microbiological Water Quality Requirements for Salad Irrigation in the United Kingdom

2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (8) ◽  
pp. 2029-2035 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. F. TYRREL ◽  
J. W. KNOX ◽  
E. K. WEATHERHEAD
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Irrigation Water ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Water Quality Monitoring ◽  
Irrigation Water Quality ◽  
Water Quality Standards ◽  
The United Kingdom

The growth in United Kingdom salad production is dependent on irrigation to maintain product quality. There are concerns that irrigation with poor-quality water could pose a disease risk. This article examines the key issues in the emerging debate on the microbiological quality of water used for salad irrigation in the United Kingdom. The links between irrigation water quality and foodborne disease, and the current international guidance on irrigation water quality, are firstly reviewed. The findings indicate that a number of recent food-poisoning outbreaks have been linked to the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and that unhygienic product handling is implicated as the principal source of contamination. There is also credible evidence that salads contaminated in the field, including by irrigation water, can pose a small disease risk at the point of sale. Although irrigation water–quality standards exist in various forms internationally, there is no nationally agreed on standard used in the United Kingdom. This paper then describes the results of a survey conducted in 2003 of United Kingdom irrigation practices that might influence the microbiological quality of salads. The survey showed that surface water is the principal irrigation water source, that overhead irrigation predominates, that the gap between the last irrigation and harvest may be <24 h in many cases, and that current water-quality monitoring practices are generally very limited in scope. This paper concludes with a discussion of the issues emerging from the review and survey, including the need for improved water-quality monitoring, and the problems associated with establishing water-quality standards that could be either too strict or too lax.

scholarly journals Assessment of the Public Health Threats Posed by Vector-Borne Disease in the United Kingdom (UK)

2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 2145 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolyon Medlock ◽  
Kayleigh Hansford ◽  
Alexander Vaux ◽  
Ben Cull ◽  
Emma Gillingham ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Disease Risk ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Mosquito Vector ◽  
Vector Surveillance ◽  
Vector Borne Disease ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Vector Borne ◽  
The Uk

In recent years, the known distribution of vector-borne diseases in Europe has changed, with much new information also available now on the status of vectors in the United Kingdom (UK). For example, in 2016, the UK reported their first detection of the non-native mosquito Aedes albopictus, which is a known vector for dengue and chikungunya virus. In 2010, Culex modestus, a principal mosquito vector for West Nile virus was detected in large numbers in the Thames estuary. For tick-borne diseases, data on the changing distribution of the Lyme borreliosis tick vector, Ixodes ricinus, has recently been published, at a time when there has been an increase in the numbers of reported human cases of Lyme disease. This paper brings together the latest surveillance data and pertinent research on vector-borne disease in the UK, and its relevance to public health. It highlights the need for continued vector surveillance systems to monitor our native mosquito and tick fauna, as well as the need to expand surveillance for invasive species. It illustrates the importance of maintaining surveillance capacity that is sufficient to ensure accurate and timely disease risk assessment to help mitigate the UK’s changing emerging infectious disease risks, especially in a time of climatic and environmental change and increasing global connectivity.

scholarly journals A survey of the microbiological quality of private water supplies in England

2000 ◽  
Vol 124 (3) ◽  
pp. 417-425 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. RUTTER ◽  
G. L. NICHOLS ◽  
A. SWAN ◽  
J. DE LOUVOIS
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Escherichia Coli ◽  
Water Quality ◽  
Uv Light ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Light Treatment ◽  
Water Supplies ◽  
The Public ◽  
E Coli

Results from statutory testing of private water supplies in nine Public Health Laboratories in England were compiled, and the effects of supply class, source, treatment and location on water quality were examined. A total of 6551 samples from 2911 supplies was examined, over a 2-year period, of which 1342 (21%) samples, and 949 (33%) supplies on at least one occasion, failed current regulations for Escherichia coli. Total coliforms, including E. coli, were detected in 1751 (27%) samples from 1215 (42%) supplies. The percentage of samples positive for E. coli was highest in summer and autumn, and lowest in winter. Samples taken from larger supplies and from boreholes were less frequently contaminated than those from other sources. Chlorination, filtration or UV light treatment improved the bacteriological quality of supplies, but still resulted in a low level of compliance with the regulations. The public health implications of the study are discussed.

scholarly journals The microbiological quality of potable water on board ships docking in the UK and the Channel Islands: an association of Port Health Authorities and Health Protection Agency Study

2008 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-224 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Grenfell ◽  
C. L. Little ◽  
S. Surman-Lee ◽  
M. Greenwood ◽  
J. Averns ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Potable Water ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Water Safety ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Chlorine Residual ◽  
Health Authorities ◽  
Processing Water ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Port Health

Providing safe potable water onboard vessels presents particular challenges and contamination can occur directly from source waters as well as during loading, storage and distribution. Between May and October 2005, 950 potable water samples were collected from 342 ships docking at ports. Comparison with Guidelines found 9% of samples contained coliforms, Escherichia coli or enterococci and 2.8% had faecal indicators (E. coli or enterococci). Action levels of aerobic colony count (ACC) bacteria were detected in 20% (22°C) and 21.5% (37°C) of samples. ACC results from one-off sampling are not informative as this does not enable port health authorities to monitor ACC trends. They should be removed as a routine criterion for remedial action and vessels should adopt the WHO Water Safety Plan approach, whilst continuing to monitor water quality with public health-based indicators (e.g. chlorine residual, coliforms, E. coli and enterococci). Logistic regression analyses identified practices associated with water quality. Practices protective against coliforms, E. coli or enterococci in potable supplies were: good hose hygiene, processing water onboard, maintaining free chlorine residual at ≥0.2 mg/L. This emphasizes the importance of good hygiene during potable water loading and maintaining adequate disinfection of supplies onboard.

The Microbiological Quality of Cooked Rice from Restaurants and Take-Away Premises in the United Kingdom

1999 ◽  
Vol 62 (8) ◽  
pp. 877-882 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. L. NICHOLS ◽  
C. L. LITTLE ◽  
V. MITHANI ◽  
J. de LOUVOIS
Keyword(s):  
United Kingdom ◽  
Microbiological Quality ◽  
Point Of Sale ◽  
E Coli ◽  
Cooked Rice ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Bacillus Spp ◽  
Rice Samples ◽  
The Uk

The microbiological quality of 4,162 samples of cooked rice from restaurants and take-away premises in the United Kingdom was examined, including ready-to-eat rice purchased at point-of-sale and rice that was stored precooked for reheating on demand. The majority of point-of-sale cooked rice samples (1,855 of 1,972; 94%) were of acceptable microbiological quality, but 15 (1%) samples were of unacceptable quality (Bacillus spp. and B. cereus, ≥105 CFU/g; Escherichia coli, ≥104 CFU/g), indicating a potential risk to health. The prevalence of Bacillus spp., B. cereus, and E. coli was significantly greater in precooked stored rice than in point-of-sale cooked rice (P < 0.005 to 0.0005). Bacillus spp. (≥104 CFU/g), B. cereus (≥104 CFU/g), and E. coli (≥102 CFU/g) were present in 7%, 2%, and 9% of precooked stored samples, respectively, compared to 2%, 0.5%, and 1%, respectively in point-of-sale samples. Although final heating at the point of sale reduces the levels of microorganisms present in rice it will not inactivate the B. cereus emetic toxin if present. Rice from Indian premises was of poorer microbiological quality than that from Chinese and other premises. Although most point-of-sale cooked rice samples (94%) were of an acceptable microbiological quality, evidence from this study indicates that the microbiological quality of cooked rice sold from certain outlets in the UK is of concern.

scholarly journals Redeployment of ophthalmologists in the United Kingdom during the Coronavirus Disease Pandemic

2020 ◽  
pp. 112067212095333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christina Lim ◽  
Ian De Silva ◽  
George Moussa ◽  
Tahir Islam ◽  
Lina Osman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
National Health Service ◽  
Health Service ◽  
Personal Protection ◽  
Prior Training ◽  
Personal Protection Equipment ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Good Support

Background: During the current coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, some ophthalmologists across the United Kingdom (UK) have been redeployed to areas of need across the National Health Service (NHS). This survey was performed to assess aspects of this process including training & education, tasks expected, availability of personal protection equipment (PPE) used and the overall anxiety of ophthalmologists around their redeployment. Method: Online anonymous survey around the existing guidance on safe redeployment of secondary care NHS staff and PPE use by NHS England and Public Health England respectively. The survey was open to all ophthalmologists across the UK irrespective of their redeployment status. Findings: 145 surveys were completed and returned during a 2-week period between 17th April 2020 and 1st May 2020, when 52% of ophthalmologists were redeployed. The majority of this group consisted of ophthalmologists in training (79%). 81% of those redeployed were assigned to areas of the hospital where patients with confirmed Coronavirus disease were being treated as inpatients. There was a statistically significant improvement in anxiety level following redeployment which was mainly attributed to the support received by staff within the redeployed area. 71% of the redeployed group were found to have sufficient PPE was provided for the area they worked in. Interpretation: This is the first national survey performed on redeployment of ophthalmologists in the UK. The study showed that ophthalmologists across all grades were able to contribute in most aspects of patient care. Anxiety of redeployment was reduced by prior training and good support in the redeployment area.

scholarly journals PMMB COVID-19 Bulletin: United Kingdom (22nd April 2020)

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Loh Teng-Hern Tan ◽  
Vengadesh Letchumanan ◽  
Hooi-Leng Ser ◽  
Jodi Woan-Fei Law ◽  
Nurul-Syakima Ab Mutalib ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
United Kingdom ◽  
Personal Protective Equipment ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Protective Equipment ◽  
Health Threat ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
The World ◽  
Public Health Threat ◽  
The Uk

COVID-19 has greatly impacted the world and posed an enormous public health threat. The United Kingdom is hit harder by the COVID-19 crisis than any other European countries, besides Italy, Spain and France. The UK government has come under heavy criticism for its response to COVID-19, with lack of preparedness, shortages of personal protective equipment and COVID-19 testing. Despite the lockdown is in place to slow the spread of COVID-19, UK death toll continues to surge. As of 21st April 2020, more than 120,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 16,000 deaths had been recorded in UK.

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