Health Alert: Bacteria in Local Waters

[mAlice]

Please Forward.

Vibrio Infection

When ingested, V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus infections cause watery diarrhea, often with abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, fever, and chills. These symptoms can occur within 24 hours of eating contaminated food and usually last 3 days.

Severe disease is rare and occurs more commonly in persons with weakened immune systems.

V. vulnificus can cause a severe and life-threatening bloodstream illness characterized by fever, chills, decreased blood pressure, septic shock, and blistering skin lesions. Death occurs in 50% of individuals with V. vulnificus bloodstream infections.

V. parahaemolyticus and V. vulnificus can also cause an infection of the skin when an open wound is exposed to warm seawater. In immunocompromised individuals, these infections may lead to skin breakdown, ulceration, and invasion into the bloodstream, causing the potentially fatal outcome as described above.

Symptoms

Gastrointestinal Illness:

* Watery diarrhea
* Abdominal cramping
* Nausea
* Vomiting
* Fever
* Chills

Bloodstream Infection:

* Fever
* Chills
* Decreased blood pressure
* Septic shock
* Blistering skin lesions
* Death

Skin Infection:

* Skin breakdown
* Ulceration

Incubation Period

* 5 hours to 4 days; most commonly 1 day.

 

[afjess1989]

Health Alert: Bacteria in Local Waters Sickens Area Residents - Southern Maryland News, Charles County, Calvert County and St. Mary's County News

 

[JoeRider]

Health Alert: Bacteria in Local Waters Sickens Area Residents - Southern Maryland News, Charles County, Calvert County and St. Mary's County News

Good article. Fred Tutman is a great guy and a good speaker. I hope people realize that having their septic tanks pumped and getting your failing drain field replaces helps with keeping the bay and Pax. a little cleaner. Not the cause of all the problems, but every little bit helps.

 

[acommondisaster]

Unrelated, but in the same vein -

the $50,000 a week vacation spot in Martha's Vineyard where the 1st family is staying on vacation is suffering from the same sort of bacterial hazards in the water. Oh darn.

 

[afjess1989]

Unrelated, but in the same vein -

the $50,000 a week vacation spot in Martha's Vineyard where the 1st family is staying on vacation is suffering from the same sort of bacterial hazards in the water. Oh darn.

it would so sad if he lost his legs to that hazard what would the country do with out the great Obama

 

[toppick08]

Been going on for ages........nothing new here.

 

[royhobie]

Other Bacteria

Been going on for ages........nothing new here.

The Bay and other bodies of water contain many types of bacteria. Some can be harmful and most are not. Based on the slow to moderate degrading of the condition of the Bay, expect more types of bacteria to occur. Some of these may be more harmful to people. Other forms will be ingested by the fish, only to be eaten by people. And the future bacteria will not be in the form of a lesion on a rockfish. You won't know until it is too late. It is likely that future bacteria will just make you sick and will not kill you.

However, it is not likely that bacteria will become airborne like certain types of fungus or mold. I am not saying it is not possible. I am just saying it is not likely. What is the most alarming of all, is very, very little of our waterways of the Bay, public and private, are not tested for harmful bacteria. This is a concern.

 

[bcp]

Unrelated, but in the same vein -

the $50,000 a week vacation spot in Martha's Vineyard where the 1st family is staying on vacation is suffering from the same sort of bacterial hazards in the water. Oh darn.

Swim barry Swim