Boat owner Kristine Liodden has felt in bad shape for the past week, with significant stomach problems. – I have had diarrhoea, been nauseous for several days and had a reduced appetite. And she is not the only boat owner on Gjøvik who has fallen ill recently. Other boat owners have struggled with vomiting and other symptoms of illness, and have been very unwell, she says. Liodden believes it is likely that the disease can be caused by close contact with polluted estuary water. She has had to wade in the water to see the boat during the flood, and got caught in wet ropework. She also had to unlock her bicycle which was under water. Liodden also had little access to washing herself before she got home. – I see a connection with the fact that we have all been in the harbor for some time and worked with the boats in connection with floods. We had a charity and helped each other. It was Oppland Arbeiderblad that first mentioned the case. 16 times as high Water samples show that the water in the area is highly polluted and full of bacteria. The level of E. coli in the water in the Gjøvik harbor Fredevika is 16 times as high as it must be for the water quality to be described as good. E. coli bacteria are known to cause stomach and intestinal infections. E.coli The vast majority of E. coli bacteria are usually harmless and do not cause illness as long as they stay in the intestine. However, there are some groups of E. coli that can cause intestinal infections in humans. The four most common groups of disease-causing E.coli bacteria are EHEC, EIEC, EPEC and ETEC. The most serious variant is EHEC. The EHEC bacteria can cause diarrhoea, which is sometimes bloody. It can last 4–10 days in adults and somewhat longer in children. Some forms of the EHEC bacteria can in rare cases cause serious complications in the form of the serious kidney disease hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), especially in children and the elderly. Other types of the EHEC bacteria can cause a milder disease picture. Prevention of illness Good hand and kitchen hygiene is important. Wash hands after using the toilet, after contact with animals and before cooking and eating. Wash knives, cutting blades and kitchen equipment that have been contaminated by raw materials before using the equipment for other food. Keep raw meat well separated from other foods, especially those you are going to eat raw or those that have already been heat-treated. Source: Norwegian Institute of Public Health THE BOAT: Boat owners in Fredevika worked hard to secure boats and wharf facilities. And the boat job may have received a high price via illness. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news Red danger warning On 15 August, Gjøvik municipality issued a red danger warning, warning of highly polluted water and poor water quality in the area. It was three days after Liodden and others were in the water working on securing the boats and wharf facilities. Liodden is critical of the fact that the municipality did not inform about the health risk in connection with the polluted flood water at an earlier stage. – I think too little information was given and that it should have been given much earlier. It feels good to get the information three days after you have done such work. She believes that SMS notifications should also be used and not just information on the municipality’s website. Takes self-criticism MUNICIPAL SUPERVISOR: Siri Fuglem Berg says Gjøvik municipality released information about water samples when the answers were available. But she also says they could be better informed. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news Municipal supervisor in Gjøvik Siri Fuglem Berg does not rule out that the boat owners have become ill due to contact with the contaminated water. – It is clear that if the only common background is that they have handled ropes that have been lying in polluted water, then we cannot rule out that it is a possible cause. She says they tried to share information about the water as well as possible. – We published information about the bathing water samples and the samples taken in Mjøsa as soon as we had it, via our channels. Before we had the test results, the general recommendation was to avoid swimming in flood-prone areas. BOAT OWNER: It is still not possible to get to Kristine Liodden’s boat without wading in the water. And the water quality is very poor in the area. Photo: Lars Erik Skrefsrud / news Should be careful going forward But the municipal superintendent also takes self-criticism on behalf of the municipality. – You can always improve on information, so we take that with us. Kristine Liodden has been to the doctor, and he does not rule out that it is E. coli and the contaminated water that is the cause of the disease. Her condition has worsened over the past 24 hours. She now recommends boat owners and others to be careful in the future, and follow what is from water tests. – I hope it passes and no more people get sick. And that people have good hand hygiene, if they have to look for boats or for other reasons come into contact with water.
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Boat owners have fallen ill and believe it may be due to contaminated floodwater in Mjøsa – news Innlandet – Local news, TV and radio
