[StBernard] Due to St. Bernard water amoeba, many schools shut off drinking fountains

[Westley Annis]

Due to St. Bernard water amoeba, many schools shut off drinking fountains

Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
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on September 13, 2013 at 11:00 AM, updated September 13, 2013 at 4:34 PM

Citing confirmation that a rare brain-eating amoeba was found in St. Bernard
Parish's water system, Public Schools Superintendent Doris Voitier said
Friday that she has shut down middle and elementary schools' drinking
fountains "out of an abundance of caution." 

The decision came a day after the federal Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention confirmed that four locations of the parish water system, two in
Violet and two in Arabi, tested positive for the amoeba. Last week, the CDC
confirmed that a Mississippi boy died in August from a brain infection he
likely contracted playing on a Slip 'n Slide while visiting in St. Bernard
in July. 

Officials Thursday sought to reassure residents that the water is safe to
drink but there's a risk if it enters the nose. 

"While we know that drinking the water is no problem whatsoever, my only
partial concern was possibly with the younger children at the schools,the
concern that it could possibly go up their noses while they were drinking,"
Voitier said. "So out of an abundance of caution, we got our maintenance
crew out there last night and turned off the water systems in all our
elementary schools and middle schools."

She said the school system is providing other water to children.

The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals has said people can't
contract the infection by drinking contaminated water, because stomach acid
will kill the amoeba. Naegleria fowleri -- which can cause encephalitis --
infects people by entering the body through the nose.

Voitier said that school officials have set up water coolers throughout the
schools and that water also is available in school cafeterias. The parish
public school system has about 7,200 students in 11 facilities.

"Until I got more information, I just wanted to err on the side of caution,"
Voitier said. "And, as I get more information, we will talk about
re-enabling the water fountains."

Lynn Oaks School also shut off its water fountains on Friday and sent a note
to parents asking them to be careful in how they discuss the matter as not
to cause "widespread panic among our school children."

And Our Lady of Prompt Succor School, an elementary and middle school in
Chalmette, went one step further, not only shutting off drinking fountains
but also shutting off all sinks where students might wash their hands. As an
alternative, the school has provided hand sanitizers in all its restrooms
and classrooms and is handing out bottled water, according to Sarah McDonald
with the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

The school held a Friday morning assembly explaining to students that it was
a "precautionary measure," McDonald said.

Just half a mile away, on East Judge Perez Drive, Breaux Mart store manager
Jared Thomas said that the grocery store on Friday already had sold about
double the amount of water compared to a typical day.

"But, last week, we ordered a bunch extra just in case," Thomas said. "So we
will have plenty of water to go around."

DHH announced last week that the 4-year-old Mississippi child visiting St.
Bernard in July died from primary amebic meningoencephalitis, a brain
infection that leads to the destruction of brain tissue. Health officials
confirmed that the boy likely contracted the infection after playing on the
Slip 'n Slide for a long time and having the warm, untreated water go up his
nose.

Parish President Dave Peralta said on Friday that the four locations in
Arabi and Violet that tested positive were from two fire hydrants and two
home water faucets. While they do connect directly to the parish water
lines, Peralta stressed that they are unique in that they have more of a
propensity to have warm, standing water.

He said that only four tests came back positive out of 50 to 60 areas
sampled.

DHH has stated that hundreds of liters of water were filtered to capture any
amoebae that might be present in the water.

Peralta said that, as the parish already does regularly, it is flushing the
whole water system -- replacing the old water in the system with new water
-- and it is increasing the parish water's chlorine levels and that the
state agencies are continuing to test the water supply.

"Ironically, I am getting more calls about the smell of the chlorine in the
water than I am about the parasite in the water," Peralta said. "Even though
I do not believe this is the worst-case scenario, we have to treat it as
that and be very cautious and treat the system very aggressively."

"We want to people just to remain calm," Peralta continued. "This is not
easily contracted, and it was just found in two locations and all other
locations are fine. "But, I understand, we find it in one location and that
brings concerns."

Councilman Ray Lauga, whose represents Arabi, said that he plans to hold a
public meeting next week with the parish sewer and water board "so we can
get more of a comprehensive idea of how much longer they will be
chlorinating and learn more about all the test results that have come in
from the CDC."

In light of the amoeba found in the St. Bernard water system, Plaquemines
Parish President Billy Nungesser announced on Friday afternoon that
Plaquemines has put in a request to the state to get its water system tested
as well.

"Parish employees will flush our water lines this weekend and we will take
every precaution necessary to insure that the water in Plaquemines Parish is
safe for our residents," Nungesser said. "There is no reason to believe that
we have a problem with our water. The steps we are taking are purely
precautionary measures."

Exposure to Naegleria fowleri typically occurs when people go swimming or
diving in warm freshwater lakes and rivers. In rare instances, Naegleria
fowleri infections may also occur when contaminated water from other
sources, such as inadequately chlorinated swimming pool water or tap water
heated less than 116.6 degrees, enters the nose when people submerge their
heads or when people irrigate their sinuses with devices such as a neti pot.

For more information on preventative measures, visit the CDC website:
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/naegleria/prevention.html

Read the previous NOLA.com article about the parish water supply that
includes addition information by clicking here.
http://www.nola.com/health/index.ssf/2013/09/due_to_st_bernard_water_amoeba.
html

Stay tuned to NOLA.com for more information as it develops.