Water: Pollution
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on confirmed cases of waterborne illness linked to exposure to (a) Salmonella and (b) Leptospira at UK bathing waters since 2020.
Answered by Ashley Dalton
There have been no reported outbreaks of salmonella spp. associated with recreational water use in the time period requested since 2020.
The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) undertakes surveillance of Salmonella spp. infections. No information is available on the suspected cause of gastrointestinal infection for individual cases, unless salmonellosis cases are epidemiologically linked to an outbreak.
The UKHSA also undertakes routine surveillance for leptospirosis infections in humans, and publishes a quarterly report on the common animal-associated infections, with further information available at the following link:
Exposure history is not well reported by cases. Water sources may be in the United Kingdom or abroad, and do not necessarily reflect where the infection was acquired. The following table shows the most recent figures of confirmed cases of leptospirosis in each quarter, from Quarter one of 2020 to Quarter two of 2024:
Year | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
Confirmed leptospirosis cases | 51 | 54 | 52 | 70 | 30 |
Potential exposure to water source | 18 | 17 | 16 | 21 | 6 |
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