Dr Diarmuid O'Donovan, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) director of public health in the western region believes it is unfair to categorise the water crisis in Galway as a third world problem.
"I've worked in developing countries, and it is not comparable," he says, pointing out that there have been cryptosporidium outbreaks in other developed countries.
The largest known outbreak was in Milwaukee in 1993, when 400,000 people contracted the bug. There was also an outbreak in Sydney in 1998, and in Belfast's suburbs in 2000 and 2001.
Other outbreaks have occurred in Glasgow, north-eastern Scotland and Saskatchewan in Canada. At this stage the Galway outbreak is among the largest to have occurred.
Dr O'Donovan also points to the way the outbreak is being handled in that the problem was identified and a series of measures taken to protect the health of people.
Cryptosporidiosis is a notifiable illness since 2004, and a certain number of cases are expected each year. When laboratory staff noticed a higher than expected incidence of the illness in the Galway region from late February on, contact was made with the local authorities, and once drinking water was identified as the likely source, the "boil notice" came into force in mid-March.
This will remain, Dr O'Donovan says, until there is a reduction in illness to the normal expected incidence. In addition the HSE and EPA will have to be satisfied that the drinking water is cryptosporidium free, either through measures at the existing plant, or a switch to a new source.
Detailed investigations and research are also under way, Dr O'Donovan says, to try and get a better understanding of the outbreak, including detailed interviews with every confirmed case.