Giardiasis reported in Jeffersonville

By DAVID HULSE

JEFFERSONVILLE — The River Reporter has confirmed that in recent weeks local physicians have diagnosed at least three cases of giardiasis among residents in Jeffersonville.

According to the New York State Health Department (DOH), giardiasis, also known as “beaver fever,” is a fairly common intestinal illness in Upstate New York that occurs sporadically or in clusters or outbreaks. Giardiasis cases must be reported to DOH.

Caused by a microscopic parasite that is passed in the feces of an infected person or animal, the disease may contaminate water or food. Giardia exposure can prompt diarrhea of varying intensity, which can persist for weeks, along with significant weight loss. In some instances it shows no symptoms at all.

Sue Conklin didn’t give it much thought when she became ill in the end of May, but when diarrhea persisted she visited a physician in early June, and testing revealed giardiasis. She began a prescribed antibiotic regimen that week, but became curious about how she’d contracted the disease and called the DOH the following week.

Conklin was told the disease was supposed to be reported, but no reports of it had reached DOH. She was also told that three concurrent cases of the disease needed to be treated as an epidemic. She said the Monticello DOH office began an extensive investigation after her call.

Conklin, who operates her own beauty salon, says there is very little that goes on around a small town that doesn’t get revealed at the beauty salon or barber shop, and she already knew of two other neighbors who had the disease diagnosed.

Another health official, who asked not to be named, said the reporting failure could well be a matter of staffing problems at physicians offices, people simply not aware of the reporting requirements.

Dennis Crosswell at the Monticello DOH said he was familiar with Conklin’s case, but was not at liberty to comment without a release from DOH in Albany. However, DOH in Albany made no response to repeated inquiries about the situation.

Conklin, who recalled that she was dieting and consuming unusually large amounts of water when she first became ill, is suspicious of the village water supply as the source of the disease. Conklin said she used village water exclusively.

Village Mayor Susan Hemmer said, “The story is that there is no story.” She said DOH recently checked the village water supply system, ran tests and “they said everything was fine.”

Hemmer said Conklin has been the only person to contact the village about a problem. “To my knowledge, we don’t have any problems with our water,” Hemmer said on July 9.

But the mayor has been in contact with other people who contracted the disease. One of them, who asked not to be named, said, “Of course, she’s very concerned that a problem is even suspected. She drinks the water, too.”

Hemmer did not then know if DOH testing had included specific tests for giardia.

Conklin said DOH had told her that earlier testing of village water did not routinely include giardia testing, which was said to be very expensive and available only at one lab in the northeast.

The test costs were not a concern for Conklin, who said she’s missed a week’s work with the illness so far and she still doesn’t trust the water in her home. She suffered her third recurrence of giardiasis symptoms on July 9. “I don’t have health insurance and I’ve got a bill for $200 in lab fees, doctors bills and drug store bills.”

Conklin wants someone to find out what’s going on. “This isn’t going to just go away,” she said.

On July 10, Hemmer said she contacted DOH again and was told the agency is not considering the cases in Jeffersonville as an outbreak, and that the village would not be required to test the water for giardia. “However, to be on the safe side, we’ve decided have the testing done voluntarily,” she said, adding, “We go by what DOH tells us, and our water tests come back good every month.”

Hemmer said she saw no crisis, but would not have hesitated if she had. “If the village board felt that if there had been any danger we would have notified people,” she said.