[StBernard] CDC Confirms Rare Ameba in St. Bernard Water System - State Health Department says water is safe to drink, but urges residents to take precautions

[Westley Annis]

CDC Confirms Rare Ameba in St. Bernard Water System

State health department says water is safe to drink, but urges residents to
take precautions

 

 

Additional test results from the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) confirm the presence of the rare ameba Naegleria fowleri in
four locations of the St. Bernard Parish water system, the Louisiana
Department of Health and Hospitals (DHH) announced Thursday.

DHH announced last week that the encephalitis death of a child that had
visited St. Bernard Parish was connected to the rare ameba, which testing
confirmed was present at the home. Because some water samples showed low
residual levels of chlorine, DHH sent additional water samples to the CDC
for testing last week and St. Bernard parish began flushing its water lines
with additional chlorine last week, as a precautionary measure.

Assistant Secretary for Public Health J.T. Lane said, "We know that chlorine
kills Naegleria fowleri, which is why it was critical that the parish
proactively began flushing its water system with additional chlorine last
week. The parish will continue this action until it raises chlorine
residuals to recommended levels, and this process will continue for several
weeks. DHH is working with parish officials to provide assistance and
support to the parish's staff to ensure that chlorine levels are being
monitored daily."

State Health Officer Jimmy Guidry said, "The water is safe to drink and
there are basic precautions that families can take -- such as chlorinating
their pools and avoiding getting water in their noses -- to protect
themselves, though infection from this ameba is very rare."

While the water is safe to drink, there is a risk if the ameba enters their
nose. There are basic precautions that families can take -- such as
chlorinating their pools and avoiding getting water in their noses -- to
protect themselves, though infection from this ameba is very rare."

Today's confirmation is from four sites located in Violet and Arabi. DHH
scientists pulled samples from hydrants and faucets that connected directly
to the water lines. Hundreds of liters of water were filtered in order to
capture any amebas that might be present in the water.

Naegleria fowleri is a rare infection that has been associated with three
deaths traced to water in Louisiana since 2011. Two people died in 2011, in
addition to the death being announced last week. The CDC confirmed that
Naegleria fowleri was the cause of the death after specialized testing was
conducted.

PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES FOR FAMILIES

According to the CDC, personal actions to reduce the risk of Naegleria
fowleri infection should focus on limiting the amount of water going up a
person's nose and lowering the chances that Naegleria fowleri may be in the
water.  For information on preventative measures, please visit the CDC
Website here: http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/prevention.html
<http://new.dhh.louisiana.gov/action.cfm?md=communication&task=addMessageCli
ckThru&msgid=797&uid=0&encoded=1&redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Ecdc%2Egov%2Fpar
asites%2Fnaegleria%2Fprevention%2Ehtml> 

To prevent any risk when using drinking water, make sure water does not go
up your nose.  Some common sense suggestions from the CDC include:

*	DO NOT allow water to go up your nose or sniff water into your nose
when bathing, showering, washing your face, or swimming in small hard
plastic/blow-up pools.
*	DO NOT jump into or put your head under bathing water (bathtubs,
small hard plastic/blow-up pools) - walk or lower yourself in.
*	DO NOT allow children to play unsupervised with hoses or sprinklers,
as they may accidentally squirt water up their nose. Avoid slip-n-slides or
other activities where it is difficult to prevent water going up the nose.
*	DO run bath and shower taps and hoses for 5 minutes before use to
flush out the pipes. This is most important the first time you use the tap
after the water utility raises the disinfectant level.
*	DO keep small hard plastic/blow-up pools clean by emptying,
scrubbing, and allowing them to dry after each use.
*	DO use only boiled and cooled, distilled, or sterile water for
making sinus rinse solutions for neti pots or performing ritual ablutions.
*	DO keep your swimming pool adequately disinfected before and during
use. Adequate disinfection means: 

o    Pools: free chlorine at 1-3 parts per million (ppm) and pH 7.2-7.8

o    Hot tubs/spas: free chlorine 2-4 parts per million (ppm) or free
bromine 4-6 ppm and pH 7.2-7.8

o    If you need to top off the water in your swimming pool with tap water,
DO place the hose directly into the skimmer box and ensure that the filter
is running.
DO NOT top off by placing the hose in the body of the pool.

Residents should continue these precautions until extensive testing no
longer detects the ameba in the water system. Residents will be made aware
when that occurs.

ABOUT NAEGLERIA FOWLERI

Exposure to Naegleria fowleri typically occurs when people go swimming or
diving in warm freshwater lakes and rivers. In very rare instances,
Naegleria fowleri infections may also occur when contaminated water from
other sources (such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or
heated tap water less than 116.6 degrees Fahrenheit) enters the nose when
people submerge their heads or when people irrigate their sinuses with
devices such as a neti pot. People cannot be infected with Naegleria fowleri
by drinking water.

Naegleria fowleri causes the disease primary amebic meningoencephalitis
(PAM), a brain infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue. In
its early stages, symptoms of PAM may be similar to symptoms of bacterial
meningitis.

Initial symptoms of PAM start one to seven days after infection. The initial
symptoms include headache, fever, nausea, vomiting, and stiff neck. Later
symptoms include confusion, lack of attention to people and surroundings,
loss of balance, seizures, and hallucinations. After the start of symptoms,
the disease progresses rapidly and usually causes death within one to 12
days.

Naegleria fowleri infections are very rare. In the 10 years from 2001 to
2010, 32 infections were reported in the U.S. Of those cases, 30 people were
infected by contaminated recreational water and two people were infected by
water from a geothermal drinking water supply.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals strives to protect and
promote health statewide and to ensure access to medical, preventive and
rehabilitative services for all state citizens. To learn more about DHH,
visit www.dhh.louisiana.gov
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ckThru&msgid=797&uid=0&encoded=1&redirect=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Edhh%2Elouisiana
%2Egov> . For up-to-date health information, news and emergency updates,
follow DHH's Twitter
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Health%5FDept>  account and Facebook
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