Association between precipitation upstream of a drinking water utility and nurse advice calls relating to acute gastrointestinal illnesses.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The River Göta Älv is a source of fresh-water for the City of Gothenburg (Sweden). We recently identified a clear association between upstream precipitation and indicator bacteria concentrations in the river water outside the intake to the drinking water utility. This study aimed to determine if variation in the incidence of acute gastrointestinal illnesses is associated with upstream precipitation.

Methods

We acquired data, covering 1494 days, on the daily number of telephone calls to the nurse advice line from citizens in Gothenburg living in areas with Göta Älv as a fresh-water supply. We separated calls relating to gastrointestinal illnesses from other medical concerns, and analyzed their association with precipitation using a distributed lag non-linear Poisso

SUBMITTER: Tornevi A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3713056 | biostudies-literature | 2013

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature