Do hikers still need to purify their water?

From the LA Times “Healthy Traveler” column by Kathleen Doheny, Despite the recent reports, stream water still poses a risk

Backpackers are advised to purify it before they drink. You never know what’s been upriver.

To filter or not to filter? The result of a recent study has some wilderness experts questioning whether water purification practices are always necessary in the backcountry.

It depends partly on who or what is up there with you, says Dr. Robert Derlet, a professor of emergency medicine at UC Davis, Sacramento….

The article also lists three different methods of purification, as well as offering a few other neophyte backpacking tips.