It was the beginning of what is now considered the first-ever outbreak of E. coli in a treated municipal water system in North America. Many know the events of the Walkerton tragedy. But to be a doctor at the centre of that tragedy was a different story, said McArthur. He told his experience to colleagues at the Society of Rural Physicians of Canada meeting in Hockley Valley, Ont. last week. He said that for the physicians in Walkerton, the tragedy hit hard.
Rural physicians are more a part of the community.
Murray McQuigge, MD, is medical officer of health for the Bruce Grey Owen Sound Health Unit and he led the investigation. McQuigge said the key culprits are an overpopulated planet, massive industry, and large-scale corporate animal farms that create tremendous waste and require a considerable amount of antibiotics for growth and disease prevention. Walkerton was a disaster. The bacteria are located in the cow's intestines and are carried into their excrement. Three days after ingesting the bug, you usually develop symptoms of diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever and vomiting.