[StBernard] PARISH SETS UP INFORMATIONAL MESSAGE REGARDING AMOEBA

[Westley Annis]

PARISH SETS UP INFORMATIONAL MESSAGE REGARDING AMOEBA

 

            St. Bernard Parish Government has set up a recorded message
which provides information on precautionary measures suggested by the Center
for Disease Control.  Residents can contact 504-278-4251 to hear personal
actions that will help reduce the risk of Naegleria fowleri (Amoeba)
infection.  

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 mill (ppm) or free bromine
4-6 ppm & pH 7.2-7.8

.                     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 can also visit the CDC's Website at
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>  or pick up information at the
government complex or the Water and Sewer office.