DHHS suspects Bethlehem spring as giardia infection site for five people

CONCORD – The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) has identified five people who got sick with Giardia in late August. Of the five individuals, at least four reported drinking water from the same natural spring on Old Franconia Road in Bethlehem, New Hampshire. DHHS is awaiting further information from the fifth individual, who also reported drinking from a natural spring.

Anyone who recently drank from the spring, which runs through a white pipe toward a collection bowl by the roadside, should monitor themselves for symptoms of stomach or intestinal illness and contact their healthcare provider for testing if symptoms develop. Individuals with containers of water collected from the spring should discard the water or boil it for at least one minute to get rid of germs before drinking, using it to cook, brushing teeth, or giving it to pets.