Tyson Wesley’s experience during the Kashechewan E. coli outbreak fuels his work today
Tyson Wesley remembers being evacuated from Kashechewan during the E. coli outbreak that occurred there in 2005.
“I remember the airport and these tents full of doctors and nurses checking us for skin conditions,” he says. “I remember having skin issues and my mother, she contracted E. coli during this.”
The experience, and the illnesses he witnessed, drove home how important clean water is.
“There’s a loss of trust there,” he said. “I still make sure I drink filtered water, that extra level to protect myself. I don’t know about what others feel or think about it, but for me, I was only a teenager, it was so traumatic.”
In 2005, Kashechewan’s water supply was found to have high levels of E. coli bacteria. The reserve was eventually evacuated after cases of scabies and impetigo were found in children.
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