The Northern Ireland Water Service has identified the likely source of the cryptosporidium bug which has infected drinking water in the Belfast area.
The bug can cause vomiting and diarrhoea and particularly affects children, the sick and older people. It can take up to 12 days to incubate before symptoms appear. The Water Service believes contaminated water got into the public supply at the Dunore Point treatment plant on the eastern shore of Lough Neagh, Co Antrim, through a blocked drain which allowed untreated water into the filtration system.
The Eastern Health Board consultant in communicable disease control, Dr Brian Morgan, said he was satisfied there was no further risk to drinking water. "I am absolutely convinced that the water supplied to the Belfast population now is absolutely safe," he added.