Canterbury town struck down with stomach bug

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Residents in a small rural Canterbury town have been struck down with gastroenteritis after drinking contaminated water.

More than 110 stomach bug cases have been recorded at Darfield Medical Centre, one week after Selwyn District Council issued a boil-water notice after E. coli was found in the Waimakariri River.

Six of the notifications have already been confirmed as campylobacter, a food and waterborne disease that causes vomiting and diarrhoea.

The council has since fixed its deep underground bore system, and water supplies were declared safe to drink on August 21.

Canterbury Medical Officer of Health, Dr Alistair Humphrey says gastroenteritis can easily spread from one person to another.

Dr Humphrey says people with gastroenteritis need to rest and keep well hydrated.

"It is helpful to have small sips often, every five to 10 minutes. Even if the patient is vomiting they are still likely to absorb some water. After 12-24 hours and if vomiting has stopped, patients should try eating small amounts of food."

He advised people to be vigilant in washing their hands to avoid it spreading, and for patients to stay away from school or work.

People should also contact their GP if a baby is unable to keep anything down for eight hours, or if a child aged over 18 months is unable to keep anything down for 24 hours.

Doctors should also be notified if patients have not been drinking but are still getting diarrhoea and vomiting, they have stomach pain and it's getting worse, or there is blood in vomit or faeces.