Nearly 500 people fall ill in eastern China after drinking contaminated water
- Supply to rural town of Baoyi shut down and hundreds admitted to hospital, according to state media
- They were found to be infected with shigella bacteria, which can cause dysentery
Hundreds of people in eastern China have been infected with bacteria which can cause dysentery after drinking contaminated water, state media said Monday, prompting the closure of a local water plant.
Nearly 500 people in the rural town of Baoyi – about 550km (342 miles) west of Shanghai – have developed fever and diarrhoea since late last week.
A report by the local government published on Sunday found they had been infected with shigella bacteria – a genus of microbes that can cause dysentery.
The town’s water supply was shut down and nearly 300 people had been admitted to hospital, county officials said.
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Video footage posted on social media by the state-run People’s Daily on Monday showed patients sitting in rows of beds in a local hospital.