ILUVSWTAS wrote:Have they been tested and diagnosed as having giardia or is it just gastro? Giardia is different from gastro and would be a far more serious issue.
On receipt of a positive Giardia stool sample test
Bindel wrote:I finished the overland track 7 days ago and having gasgro symptoms. I didnt treat the water as the volunteer ranger said there was no need. Regretting that decision after reading about possum poo.
Dazintaz, did you get a confirmation of Giardia from the GP?
Son of a Beach wrote:How did you confirm the source of the infection?
It may well have been from a lake or stream. In particular, Dove Lake has a LOT of humans roaming around it. However, it is still more likely to have been from, for example, touching a door handle in the toilets at Dove Lake (or anywhere else for that matter) than from the water in Dove Lake.
the incidence of people succumbing to those diseases while in the park being in contact with the water was increasing
benoloughlin wrote:Son of a Beach wrote:
In my discussion with the doctor she informed me that the streams and waterways in the CMLStC NP along the Overland Track were well-known sources for both giardia and campylobacter and that the incidence of people succumbing to those diseases while in the park being in contact with the water was increasing.
benoloughlin wrote:My attitude is that boiling/treating water and being vigilant about personal hygiene is 'cheap insurance' regardless of how prevalent those risks are. You only need to be infected once and it can not only ruin your experience but the experience of everyone else walking with you. Can you imagine how awful it would be to get giardia or campylobacter several days in a walk?
Orion wrote: But hygiene is a thornier problem to deal with and frequently gets short shrift as a result. That it is arguably the more likely route for infection is why I think people tend to discount reports of illness due to untreated water .
Return to Overland Track and Cradle Mountain
Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 2 guests