The number of suspected salmonella cases linked to the outbreak in this southern Colorado town, located about 60 miles east of Pagosa Springs, topped 200 on Easter Sunday.
Of 216 reported cases so far, 68 have been confirmed by lab results, according to a statement by public information officer Jim Shires in an Associated Press report published in the Vail Daily.
Nine people have been hospitalized since the first reported case on March 14, but only one was believed to still be in the hospital, Shires reportedly 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.
The majority of patients range in age from 4 months to 18 years. Salmonella bacteria are especially prone to affect young children, with older people showing an immunity to infection.
It could be three more weeks before Alamosa residents can drink water straight from the tap after the outbreak of salmonella was linked to municipal water, according to a report in the Aspen Times.
The city and county of Alamosa declared emergencies, which would allow them to tap into state funds as officials scramble to provide residents with safe water and disinfect its system with chlorine. The earliest the city water system could be flushed is Tuesday, and disinfecting it and making sure it is safe could take several days, James Martin, executive director of the state health department said Friday. Ned Calonge, chief medical officer for the state health department, said an epidemiologic analysis indicates the municipal water system is the source of the outbreak.
Meanwhile, city officials have worked to coordinate distribution of bottled water.
Gov. Bill Ritter declared a public health emergency Friday, freeing up $300,000 in aid and activating the Colorado National Guard to help distribute safe 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.
Alamosa, a town with about 8,500 residents, gets its water from a deep well system. Since water is pure from the aquifer, it is not chlorinated.
During the first stage of the chlorine treatment, residents will not be able to shower, said Greg Caton, lead spokesman for the emergency operations center. The chlorine level during the first stage of the treatment will be 25 milligrams per liter, more than three times the level of most swimming pools.
"Exposure is not recommended at that level," Caton said in a report published in the Pueblo Chieftain.
The city will insert the chlorine into the system on a neighborhood-by-neighborhood basis, so not every tap in Alamosa will immediately have an increased chlorine level.
About 45 businesses are providing enough bottled water to keep residents supplied for several days, in some cases for free, for drinking, brushing teeth, washing dishes, making ice, cooking, drinking and making baby formula, said Hans Kallam, director of the state Division of Emergency Management.
Bulk water is also available from East Alamosa, which is not connected to the city system.
Residents may at times have to buy their own bottled water, but anyone who needs help will get it, state officials said.
"No one's going to go without water in Alamosa during this emergency," Martin said. However state officials were still looking for donors who could provide disposable plates and utensils and hand sanitizers, Martin said.
According to one internet blogger following the incident, under Colorado Law (C.R.S. 24-10-106) the city would not be immune from liability, but any damages awarded would be capped at $150,000 per person — and a total of $600,000 per incident. So, the more sick people, the less the city would have to pay per person.
"Interesting incentive to NOT poison your citizens," suggested the blogger, Bill Mahler, an attorney specializing in personal injury cases.