A microbial parasite called Giardiasis could be lurking in your water tank and causing havoc In your gastrointestinal system.

The topic was discussed by members at the Coonamble branch at last week’s Country Women’s Association (CWA) meeting with mention of local incidents of infection among people who drink unfiltered water from their rainwater tanks.

“Perhaps some of us are more resistant to it because we drink tap water all the time,” a branch member said.

“But if we have a visitor who is immune-compromised or small children then it’s really something to pay attention to.”

Giardiasis is a water-born parasitic bacteria. It can be found in faeces and transmitted through contaminated water, handling infected animals, or person-to-person contact.

Guiardia cases often spike after heavy rainfall, when the bacteria can flourish in hot, humid conditions.

“If there’s been a lot of rain and your runoff is not entirely clean that can increase the risk of it coming,” Ochre Medical GP Dr Justine Thomson said.

“Town people can be affected if pipes are not clean but it’s far less common.”

Symptoms include diarrhoea, fatigue, stomach cramps, nausea, and weight loss.

The giardiasis bacteria can be dangerous to some people. IMAGE SOURCED.

To test if a patient has giardia a stool sample is sent to a lab for testing.

Giardia is a stubborn disease and once infected, symptoms can persist for days or even months.

“They can make you quite crook. Some people stop eating well and lose weight,” Dr Thomson said.

Most people begin to show symptoms three to 25 days after infection.

“Particularly for vulnerable people, symptoms can be more chronic.

“Ongoing diarrhoea in little kids should be looked into particularly if they’re not gaining weight.”

Dr Thomson said she has seen an increase in cases in town for the past year in which she has worked in Coonamble.

“We had a spike in cases last year, including some resistant cases,” Dr Thomson said.

In severe cases, giardia is treated with an antibiotic.

Giardia is most common in young children whose immune systems are still developing but their symptoms such as loose stool are often overlooked because they are common in children.

Filtration devices, including UV filtration help get rid of giardiasis and other bacteria.

There are precautions that can be taken to reduce the risk of giardiasis infecting your home rainwater.

At their meeting, CWA members discussed the need for ‘first flush diverters’ to be fitted on rainwater tanks and that testing is recommended when conditions are prime for bacteria to increase.

“You can have your water tested, but watch out for dodgy companies promising big things,” one member warned. “Local ag supplies stores like Elders and Nutrien can usually test water samples for you.”

Giardia is a notifiable disease and local GPS do advise NSW Health of any cases they see, however, the Public Health Unit tends not to make direct contact with patients in our area because it is quite common.

So, if you’re questioning the last time you had your water tank cleaned maybe now is the time to look into that.