7 Infections Athletes Could Get From Rio's Contaminated Waters

By: Rachael Rettner, Senior Writer Published: 08/03/2016 06:02 PM EDT on LiveScience The coastal waters around Rio de Janeiro, where many Olympic water competitions will soon take place, are reportedly teeming with harmful viruses and bacteria. So what illnesses might people catch if they swallow some of the water? If the water has been contaminated with raw sewage, as has been reported, then a number of common pathogens could be lurking there and make people ill, experts say. “There are many types of microbes in raw sewage that have the potential to cause human disease,” said Stephen Morse, a professor of epidemiology at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York City. [10 Ways the Beach Can Kill You] A study of Rio’s beaches commissioned by the Associated Press found much higher levels of viruses and markers for bacterial contamination in some cases than would be considered safe in the United States. The biggest concern for athletes, as well as beachgoers in general, will be the potential for infection with viruses, said Dr. Alisa Muñiz Crim, a gastroenterologist at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami. Although bacteria such as E. coli are found in sewage and can make people sick, bacteria tend to break down in salt water, so there’s a lower risk of bacterial infections, Muñiz Crim said. In contrast, “Viral organisms can persist in the salt water and the sand for days, weeks and months,” Mu&ntild...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news