Protecting families from contaminated food and water
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Protecting families from contaminated food and water
Posted in Our Blog,Outbreaks & Recalls on July 13, 2025
With a rise in Giardia cases in Hopkins County, Kentucky it is a great idea to visit the topic of what to do during a Giardia outbreak.
While the health department investigates the source of the Hopkins County Giardia Outbreak, families are concerned for potential illnesses.
So, how do you protect yourself and your family during a Giardia Outbreak?
Giardia is a single-celled parasite that can cause serious illness – a diarrheal illness known as giardiasis.
This microbe lives its life cycle in two forms.
While in the intestinal tract of humans and animals, it is active. During this form, the parasite can reproduce inside its human or animal host, creating symptoms that help spread the illness further.
Before exiting the body (in the usual way waste exits the body), the parasite protects itself from the environment. Giardia form a protective shell, called a cyst, that helps it survive outside of the intestines in the environment for quite some time.
Even months!
Once the parasite infects a new host, the cysts dissolve by the time they get into the intestines. Back in its symptomatic form, the life cycle starts all over again.
During a Giardia outbreak, especially if a source has not been identified, it is important to avoid potential contaminants that may carry the parasite.
In order to avoid these potential sources, you must first understand how you become infected.
Most of the time, Giardia infections are caused by contaminated water, food, or by touching surfaces contaminated with the parasite and then putting your hands in your mouth or eating.
Rivers, streams, and lakes are often homes to giardia cysts deposited from infected animal waste.
There are no toilets in nature, after all.
Drinking, using contaminated water to wash hands or food, or accidental ingestion are common ways people become infected from Giardia contaminated water.
Especially during a Giardia outbreak, attention must be paid to where your water is coming from.
Is it safe?
Has it been contaminated?
While surface waters are a primary consideration when it comes to infection during a Giardia outbreak, well water is also subject to contamination.
When these tiny microbes work their way into ground water or pipes are compromised, well water can become contaminated.
If well water isn’t properly treated against the hardy cyst form of the Giardia organism, you can become infected by drinking, washing your hands, or washing fruits and vegetables with it.
Eating contaminated food like fruits and vegetables grown in contaminated soil or rinsed with contaminated water can cause infection.
Irrigation water contaminated from feedlot manure runoff is a common way crops become contaminated. When infected feces wash into farms or water sources, the parasite is washed into those areas right along with it.
Parasites can become attached to fruits and vegetables, even before they are touched by human hands.
Speaking of human hands. You can become infected by an infected food handler. Improper hygiene by an infected food handler can cause a Giardia outbreak.
One person who does not properly wash their hands after using the restroom can potentially contaminated hundreds (or even more) plates while infectious.
All local health departments have regulations that require handwashing activities after using the restroom facilities. However, food service businesses must enforce these practices to ensure they take place.
During a Giardia outbreak, especially one that is leaning toward a restaurant source, select your restaurants wisely. When eating out, choose restaurants or take-away options with high health department ratings. Lapses can happen in any restaurant. However, those with consistently high health department ratings likely maintain good food preparation practices.
Feces from infected animals can contaminate the environment that they live in. When these animals enter our environment, contamination can happen there too.
Parks, play areas, even your back yard can contain contaminated animal feces.
Always wash your hands after handling things outside. Help children wash their hands after playing.
Giardia cysts are passed through fecal matter from infected people and animals. I’m not talking about an obvious skid mark or pile of skat. Trace amounts of contamination are not visible to the naked eye.
It can literally be everywhere.
Combine this with the fact that cysts can live for months outside of a host, and just about anything you touch could be contaminated.
An infected person who does not effectively wash their hands after using the restroom touches the bathroom door, pulls out their chair, holds a menu, grabs a pen to sign for their check, touches the door on the way out. Every touch point is an opportunity for an unsuspecting person to get Giardia parasite on their hands and infect themselves.
So, what do you do during a Giardia outbreak to protect yourself from this?
Wash your hands.
Which brings me to the next topic.
Protecting yourself and your family during a Giardia outbreak is simple. But it does require attention to your environment and a few best practices.
Washing your hands, water safety, safety measures around animals, and key steps for childcare facilities.
I cannot stress this enough. Washing your hands with soap and water can help protect you again many types of infections. Even from this harmful parasite during a giardia outbreak.
Be sure to wash your hands:
Even if you are wearing gloves, wash your hands as soon as possible.
If soap and water are not available, alcohol-based hand sanitizer may be used. But wash your hands as quickly as possible. Alcohol-based hand sanitizer will not effectively kill giardia in their cyst form.
Water safety is an important part of protecting yourself and your family during a Giardia outbreak. This includes pools, hot tubs, lakes, or other recreational water areas.
Prevent potential spread of Giardia outbreak by staying out of the water if you are sick with diarrhea and shower before you get into the water.
Avoid swallowing water. Even in pools or hot tubs. Chlorine concentrations may not be enough to effectively kill giardia in cyst form.
Take children on bathroom breaks and check diapers every hour. When changing diapers, do so far away from the water to prevent possible contamination.
Careful attention to safety around animals and their environment is a big part of protecting yourself and your family during a Giardia outbreak.
Avoid touching animal poop. Particularly that of young animals, who are more susceptible to Giardia infection
Do not touch your face or mouth after being near animals unless you have the opportunity to wash your hands.
Wash your hands after touching animals or areas where they live. Even domestic ones.
That’s right. Spot and Tom can carry Giardia parasites as easily as wild ones.
Child care facilities are particularly vulnerable to Giardia outbreaks. Infections can run rampant through children (and adults) in the facility.
Procedures should be in place to clean, sanitize, or disinfect toys and surfaces on a regular basis.
Both adults and children should wash their hands regularly with soap and water.
When changing diapers, care to avoid potential contamination is a huge priority. Wash your hands after changing diapers. Regularly clean the changing table. Children with diarrhea should be kept home until symptoms are resolved.
If you have become sick during a Giardia outbreak and wish to file a legal claim, The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has a Giardia Lawyer that can help.
The Lange Law Firm, PLLC has helped families in situations like yours win millions of dollars in food poisoning and product liability cases. They can help you too!
Call (833) 330-3663 for a free, no obligation consultation. Or click here to fill out our online submission form.
By: Heather Van Tassell (contributing writer, non-lawyer)