Germs Herforder citizens need to boil drinking water

Boil water as a precaution against germs
In the Westphalian town of Herford, the water should be boiled until Saturday as a precaution. Stadtwerke Herford points to this in a recent press release. Accordingly, germs have been detected in routine drinking water samples in the urban area. Now it should be clarified by further samples, whether these confirm or whether errors were made during the sampling or the investigations.

Previous samples showed no noticeable result
Due to a potential germ burden, people in Herford are advised to boil their water. As reported by Stadtwerke Herford, water samples were routinely taken on July 6, "which then showed a striking result on July 8". On the other hand, previously taken samples from 24 June and 3 July 2015 did not show any conspicuous findings. "More detailed studies on the typification of these germs are still ongoing," the statement continues.

For health precautions boil the drinking water. Image: chagin - fotolia

However, since the results would be available only on Saturday evening at the earliest, the Herforder should then first heat the water to 100 degrees Celsius before drinking it or use it for the preparation of food and drinks. "The boiling is a pure precautionary measure," the Stadtwerke continue to explain. Since the germs are killed by the high temperatures, the water can then be used "safely".

Diarrhea and abdominal pain from germs in drinking water
According to the information, however, the microbial contamination may also have been caused by an error during the sampling or in the investigations. A total of 16 samples were taken for review, which are currently being tested by a laboratory in Mülheim an der Ruhr. If germs are in the drinking water, they can cause different symptoms. Most of the time, however, the gastrointestinal tract is affected, causing diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. For infants, toddlers, pregnant women, the elderly and immunocompromised people, germs can pose a particular risk.

Stadtwerke refrain from prophylactic chlorination for the time being
However, prophylactic chlorination is currently not carried out, according to Stadtwerke. Since chlorine must be used with care, it is important to first wait for the results of the study in order to obtain concrete information about the possible germ. However, it is suspected that it is a so-called "coliform" germ, which also occurs in the normal intestinal flora of humans and animals. Further information can be found on the Stadtwerke website and a customer service has been set up, which can be reached 24 hours a day at 05221 922-590. (No)