Byline: WENDY KOCH Times Union Washington bureau
Milwaukee In the summer of 1993, two girls already were battling life-taking demons -- Becky Furmann (AIDS) and Julie Drews (cancer) -- when another illness took over and wiped out any chance they had.
That illness was cryptosporidiosis. It was caused by a microscopic parasite that contaminated Milwaukee's tap water in late March and early April.
An estimated 403,000 residents, one-fourth of those in the metro area, got sick in what became the worst waterborne disease outbreak ever in the United States. They experienced severe stomach cramps, diarrhea, fever and vomiting.
Dozens -- probably more than 100 -- died. Most, like Becky and Julie, had immune systems already weakened by AIDS or chemotherapy.
``The outbreak changed our lives forever,'' …
No comments:
Post a Comment