Water Sickness Map Shows US States Worst Hit This Century

A map of the century's most hazardous areas for water sickness reveals Florida, Ohio and New York have suffered the most cases in the first two decades.

The most recent data of waterborne illness outbreaks from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) covers the years from 2000 to 2021. Its interactive map shows 204 in Florida, 138 in Ohio, 121 in New York, followed by 119 in Minnesota, 98 in Illinois, 81 in Wisconsin, 64 in Pennsylvania and 55 in Michigan. South Dakota was the lowest, with two outbreaks recorded.

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In general, most of these outbreaks were sourced back to treated recreational water and drinking water.

Treated recreational water, which includes public beaches and lakes, swimming pools and water parks, accounted for 83 in Florida, 62 in Ohio and 29 in New York. Meanwhile, drinking water caused 89 outbreaks in Florida, 28 in Ohio and 43 in New York.

In total, the whole country saw 1,680 outbreaks, 55,538 illnesses, 2,914 hospitalizations and 280 deaths.

Newsweek has contacted Florida's Department of Environmental Protection, via its press email address, for comment on why it has had the most outbreaks.

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In December 2021, the University of North Florida's Department of Public Health published a study looking into waterborne disease reports in the state.

It said: "Florida is primarily surrounded by ocean with an expansive coastline and inland freshwater body systems contributing to the state's economy through tourism and recreation, fishing and seafood industries, and transportation and global shipping."

The researchers called for "resource allocation for disease surveillance, case reporting, public health campaigns, and community prevention efforts using a One Health approach"—this is a multi-sectoral way of looking at health policies, taking into account the connection between people, animals and plants.

Similarly, Ohio and New York State are surrounded by water, increasing the chances of coming into contact with waterborne illnesses.

Newsweek has also contacted water regulators for these states via their press offices' email addresses—the New York Department of Health and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

It comes as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has announced a $9.75 million grant to help make sure beachgoers do not get sick from contaminated water.

Acting EPA Assistant Administrator for Water Bruno Pigott announced the new funding last week, available to Great Lakes and coastal communities across America.

He said: "Every summer Americans flock to oceanside and Great Lakes beaches to enjoy recreation time with family and friends, making these important destinations as well as economic and tourism engines for our economy.

"Protecting water quality at beaches is a priority for EPA and with these grants, we are helping our state, Tribal, and local partners monitor water quality to ensure it is safe for residents and visitors."