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Salmonella Outbreak Sickens More Than 200 In Colo.

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Mar 24, 2008 9:45 am US/Eastern

Salmonella Outbreak Sickens More Than 200 In Colo.

 CBS News Interactive: Healthwatch

ALAMOSA, Colo. (CBS) ― Health officials still have no idea how the water supply in Alamosa became contaminated with salmonella.

There are now 216 people that have become sick.

Alamosa's water is pulled from wells and no chlorine is added, reported CBS station KCNC-TV in Denver.

The city now plans to flush the town's water system out with chlorine on Tuesday.

It could be three weeks before people living in Alamosa can drink the water from the tap.

Gov. Bill Ritter said he's impressed with the response to the salmonella outbreak. He toured the town Saturday after declaring a public health emergency there.

Of 216 reported cases so far, 68 have been confirmed by lab results, public information officer Jim Shires said. Nine people have been hospitalized, but only one was believed to still be in the hospital, Shires said.

Shires is part of a nine-person incident management team from Jefferson County that arrived to help Alamosa officials respond to the outbreak, which health officials said may be caused by the municipal water system.

Health officials told residents to stop drinking and cooking with tap water last Wednesday, after tap water samples tested positive for bacterial contamination. Since then, city officials have worked to coordinate distribution of bottled water.

While the city water system is being flushed, residents will not be able to use tap water, even if it is boiled, to brush teeth, wash dishes, cook or drink. The flushing process could take several days.

State health and emergency officials have worked with dozens of companies to provide residents with bottled water, but Shires said they hope to save most of the bottles for schools. He urged residents to bring large containers to distribution centers around town to be filled with safe water.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

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