In summer 2018, Tommy Douglas went on a camping trip with his friends and enjoyed fishing and swimming in Lake Marion. He swam with an open cut, which opened an unimaginable nightmare.
“I woke up Sunday morning and my arms were swollen, felt like it would explode,” Douglas told WCBD-TV. “They had to emergency surgery and cut my arm open because it was about to explode,” he said.
Doctors found two flesh eating bacteria eating away at his arm, he added. He endured many surgeries and could not work, but his arm was saved.
With meticulous water monitoring and streamlined communication between healthcare professionals, testing experts and residents, there is hope that rare cases related to bacteria in recreational water will not hit the headlines this summer.
From May through October, the recreational season “when people are jumping off neighborhood docks,” South Carolina waters are closely monitored, said Andrew Wunderley, executive director of Charleston Waterkeeper.
The South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control tests beach water, rivers, lakes and streams all over the state and puts up a swimming advisory sign where high amounts of bacteria have been found and people commonly swim.
The strength of DHEC’s water testing is beach waters primarily, according to Wunderley. “So, we built a program 12 years ago that also tests waters at public access points, especially rivers, lakes and streams, every Wednesday morning.”
On Friday, Waterkeeper publishes test results so residents have the best available data for the weekend. Water quality varies from creek to creek, Wunderley explained, so it is important to check Waterkeeper’s and DHEC’s reports.
“When we’re talking about public health and about the quality of water for recreational use, the pollution concern is bacteria,” Wunderley added.
Leaking sewers, overflowing septic tanks, pet waste and other animal waste are often sources for that bacterium.
“People should be aware that the more it rains, the poorer the water quality,” Wunderley explained. “Flood waters are horribly, horribly polluted waters. Oils, grease, gas from cars and roads make it the dirtiest water you can conjure up.”
He recommended waiting up to 72 hours before swimming to let those pollutants work their way out. “Our water and estuaries can heal themselves once the pollution stops,” Wunderley said.
Gastroenteritis is the most common illness associated with swimming in contaminated water. It occurs in a variety of forms that can have one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, headache and fever, DHEC reports. Other minor illnesses that can result from swimming in contaminated water include ear, eye, skin, nose and throat infections. Small children and individuals with weakened immune systems are most at risk of illness.
Learn More:
charlestonwaterkeeper.org/water-quality/
scdhec.gov/beachmonitoring
checkmybeach.com/
Reporter O’Tia Prioleau contributed to this story.
Stay Safe and Healthy in Recreational Water
- Do not enter the water with open sores or lesions, high levels of bacteria may cause infection.
- Keep water out of your mouth when you swim.
- Dry your ears after you swim.
- Do not swim or allow children to play in swashes or near stormwater pipes. These shallow pools are caused by runoff from paved surfaces and often contain much higher levels of bacteria than the ocean.
- Do not swim in the ocean (or other recreational water) during or immediately following rainfall. High bacteria densities persist for hours after these rains and may increase swimmer’s risk of illness.
Sources: DHEC and The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
“Flesh-Eating Bacteria” Sources and Symptoms
Source: cdc.gov/vibrio/wounds.html
You can get Vibrio infection from eating raw or undercooked oysters and other seafood. But you can also get a Vibrio infection through an open wound. This can happen when a wound comes into contact with raw or undercooked seafood, its juices, or its drippings or with saltwater or brackish water.
One species, Vibrio vulnificus, can cause life-threatening wound infections. Many people with Vibrio vulnificus infection require intensive care or limb amputations, and about 1 in 5 people with this infection die, sometimes within a day or two of becoming ill.
Some Vibrio vulnificus infections lead to necrotizng fasciitis, often called “flesh-eating bacteria.”
This severe infection in which the flesh around an open wound dies can be caused by more than one type of bacteria.
Signs and symptoms of Vibrio vulnificus infection can include:
- Watery diarrhea, often accompanied by stomach cramping, nausea, vomiting, and fever
- For bloodstream infection: fever, chills, dangerously low blood pressure, and blistering skin lesions
- For wound infection, which may spread to the rest of the body: fever, redness, pain, swelling, warmth, discoloration and discharge (leaking fluids).
Swimmer’s Itch: Signs and Symptoms
Source: cdc.gov/parasites/swimmersitch
Swimmer’s itch, also called cercarial dermatitis, appears as a skin rash caused by an allergic reaction to certain microscopic parasites that infect some birds and mammals.
Symptoms of swimmer’s itch may include:
- tingling, burning, or itching of the skin
- small reddish pimples.
- small blisters.
Itching may last up to a week or more but will gradually go away. Scratching the areas may result in secondary bacterial infections.
By Lisa Moody Breslin
