Joy Ackerman, PhD
Department of Environmental Studies
1991
The purpose and scope of this project is to provide a case study of the vents leading to a Giardiasis outbreak which took place in Berlin, NH, on April 19, 1977. More than two hundred people contracted this disease from a supposedly inadequately treated drinking water supply. Some of the symptoms of these infected people were: chronic diarrhea, cramps, bloating, and weight loss. Hopefully, upon examination, the reader reviewing this project will begin to develop a better understanding of the organism and how it becomes virulent enough to cause serious discomfort to the individual. Once the person understands its ability to become a potential threat as a vector through a given water supply, measures of prevention can be incorporated by implementing a variety of approved public health methods of prevention through an access of education knowledge. That knowledge may be acquired by reviewing and learning concepts set forth by this document.
