TUFTONBORO, NH — With summer about to begin, many people who frequent their favorite pools may also want to read the warnings about bacteria.
During the busy Memorial Day weekend and shortly thereafter, at least 20 people, most of them children, reported E. coli infections after having swam in Lake Anna, a popular recreational destination in central Virginia. Nine of those people were hospitalized. Another 10 cases are under investigation.
In Massachusetts, 22 beaches were closed across the state on Friday morning. “Excess bacteria” was responsible for more than half of the outages. On the West Coast, high levels of bacteria closed three beaches in Seattle.
Here’s what you should know about the most common concerns.
E.coli bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals. Most strains are harmless, cause relatively brief diarrhea, and most people recover without much incident, according to the Mayo clinic. But small doses of some strains – including just a sip of contaminated water – can cause a range of conditions, including urinary tract infection, cystitis, intestinal infection and vomiting, with the worst cases leading to life-threatening blood poisoning.
Cyanobacteria – also known as blue-green algae – are plant-like organisms that live in water. They can quickly grow out of control, or “bloom,” and some produce toxins that make people and animals sick, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. They may look like foam, scum, mats, or paint on the surface of the water. They can also grow underwater.
“What is causing the bloom is excessive nutrients flowing into our surface waters through stormwater, fertilizers, pet waste and septic systems. This, along with increased sunlight and heat, is the perfect recipe for cyanobacteria,” said David Neils, chief aquatic biologist for the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services.
He was watching the flowers in Tuftonboro, along Lake Winnipesaukee, the state’s largest lake. State officials warned people do not swim there and in Wolfeboro because of cyanobacteria readings.
Neils said this year the lake had very little ice cover and never froze.
“Warmer water temperatures due to lack of ice cover certainly promote blooms,” he said.
Symptoms of exposure to cyanobacteria may include skin irritation, stomach cramps, vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, fever, sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain, mouth blisters, seizures, and acute liver damage.
The brain-eating amoeba, also known as Naegleria fowleri, is a single-celled organism that lives in soil and warm freshwater such as lakes, rivers and hot springs, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It can cause a brain infection when water containing the amoeba travels up the nose. Only about three people in the United States become infected each year, but these infections are usually fatal.
Last year, a Arkansas resident died after being infected. State health officials concluded the person was likely exposed to it at a country club splash pad.
Naegleria fowleri infects people when water containing the amoeba enters the body through the nose, according to the CDC
If you go swimming, shower before and after and try not to swallow the water, which National Institutes of Health advise. Wash your hands before eating or drinking after playing in recreational water or sand.
People should also not go to the bathroom in water and should stay out if they have recently had diarrhea to protect others, the organization says.
They should also check the water itself.
“The message for swimmers is that they should really do what we call a self-risk assessment and look at the water and see if they consider it safe to swim in,” Neils said.
Check for warning signs, talk to lifeguards, and do your homework checking specific beaches through state and local alert systems.
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McCormack reported from Concord, New Hampshire.
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