Galway's boil water notice is expected to remain in place for several more weeks, although there have been no new cases of the cryptosporidiosis illness in the past fortnight.
Officials from Galway City Council and the Health Service Executive (HSE) West met to review the situation yesterday, as work continues on drawing in an alternative and uncontaminated supply for up to 90,000 people.
The HSE West reports 238 cases of the gastrointestinal illness caused by the highly resistant cryptosporidium parasite since January of this year.
With no additional cases confirmed by laboratories in the past two weeks, occurrence of the potentially serious illness is now approaching "background levels" for this time of year.
There has been considerable pressure on the HSE West to lift its precautionary measures, as the Galway Film Fleadh, Galway Arts Festival and Galway Races season approaches. However, officials have to be satisfied with tests over two cycles of the parasite (four weeks in total) before it can lift its boil water order.
City council officials admitted last month there has been a "slide" in meeting a deadline of June 15th for closing the old Terryland waterworks, where the cryptosporidium parasite was detected almost three months ago.
Since March 16th, up to 90,000 people in Galway city and parts of the county extending from Tuam to Athenry to Oranmore and Moycullen have been buying and boiling water. The most serious cases of the illness have been in children under 10 years of age, and a number had to be hospitalised.
No one source of the contamination has been identified, but scientific analysis has shown that it was caused by both human and animal waste.
