posted on August 31, 2002 04:14:26 PM new
Many of you may remember when I gave a warning of Encephalitis that took the life of my son,scott age 8.......... well it was encephalitis, just a different form of it, that lives in the lakes here in florida.
come to florida to see mickey mouse, but stay out of the lakes.your choice, your risk.
here are some a links to the news stories that was written about this.
posted on August 31, 2002 04:31:45 PM new
I did'nt know anything about encephalitis,
untill your last thread.And I warned some cousins in Fl.Thankyou for the info.
Bless your heart,This is hard to do.
posted on August 31, 2002 04:56:13 PM new
It's thoughtful of you to post this information. In the last thread, I believe that the doctor had said that it was something in the air. It makes you wonder how often this disease has been attributed to some other cause when in fact it was contracted by swimming in a lake.
I also wonder how health officials know how forcefully the amoeba must go up the nose to infect and who are they to presume to know if people should panic. Let them have your family's experience and THEN see if they will tell everyone not to panic..
If you need someone to help you hammer signs by the lakeside, let me know.
posted on August 31, 2002 05:11:25 PM new
What bubbleheaded moronic bureaucrat decided that it is impractical to put up signs with info that could inform people about the health hazards of swimming in lakes?
Public health is about informing people, and the Dept of Health doesn't seem to be doing a good job.
Wrightsracing, we've been keeping our bug spray on while we were camping out in the country, thanks to your warning. You have the right to an informed opinion -Harlan Ellison
posted on August 31, 2002 05:39:32 PM new
Thanks for the warning. We had my wife get some unidentified virus they swear was NOT Lyme disease in Maine and now with all the West Nile cases I think we have come to the end of our camping. We will be very careful.
Our last trip to the Mohave desert is looking better abd better.....
posted on August 31, 2002 06:17:47 PM new
Thanks to all for all of your posts.
This is very hard for me to do, but If I can make a difference with 1 child, 1 family, then it is all worth it.
One of my goals is to make sure that everyone knows of this primary amoebic meningioencephalitis living in the lakes in florida, then it is up to the parents, or an adult to make the choice of weather or not to allow the child/children in to the lake...........I was not givin that choice, as I DID NOT KNOW of it.{I have lived in florida for 20 years, and don't ever recall hearing of it before.} Had I known, My son would NOT have gone in the lakes, we have a pool that he can swim in.
But Jackow said the amoeba rarely affects humans unless the bottom of the lakes are disturbed to allow exposure
The only way you can get in to most of the lakes, is by WALKING in to them, which does disturb the bottom of it. Does not make any sence to me, does it to you ??
this is in any lake, pond, body of water that gets above 80' ....so can be any where it gets warm temps, southeast, southwest, ect.
Thanks for the update. I've been thinking of you and how y'all have been doing...
And you seem to be doing very well, considering the circumstances. Seems like there are less aand less reasons to go to FL unless there is a pool close by.(Weak smile.)
Interestingly, just last night I heard somewhere that they are requiring meningitis innoculations for college freshmen. Strange but needed I guess.
Re West Nile Virus: When it made it's savvy debut here in NYC, when there "was no need for concern" I believe my son had it. In fact there is no way no how you can convince me otherwise. He howled with a headache for days, was feverish, and nobody wanted to see him unless he couldn't turn his head or got mentally weird. Basically, that was the difference between encephalitis or not...
I discussed this with a physician researcher friend. He said the problem now would be continuous opportunistic infections. Sho' enough, we just finished another course of treatment for strep throat just today, which is the second in the last, hm, 7-8 weeks?
So the bottom line with West Nilee is either you just suffer or you die. I'm with that there are way more cases than there are deaths.
posted on September 1, 2002 03:06:35 PM new
wrightsracing,
I am very sorry about your son. I haven't been able to view the news clips, but read the written reports. When we were young we swam in a lake in Michigan and contacted swimmer's itch, not fatal but very irritating. There was no sign, although the locals knew of the warnings.
I was interested in what the health official had to say in the Channel 2 broadcast and went to the CDC website to see what they have, because my brother lives in Florida. Four different states were mentioned in the records, not just Florida.
The first one, the 1991 one, records the death of a 3 and a 4 year old. You may not want to read about their cases right now, but at the bottom of the page it tells more about Naegleria fowleri that causes amebic meningoencephalitis
News Channel 20:
[b] Health officials stress that since the amoeba must go forcefully up the nose to infect, only certain activities are risky.
"Falling off water skis, jumping off docks, these things will jam water up into the nasal passages," said Bill Toth of the health department. [/b]
I wonder if these 3 & 4 yr olds were jumping off docks, falling off water skis or jet skis? The reports for the years below only mentioned children, but some of the reports didn't give ages. I wonder if this infects children more than adults?
11 0.46 Surveillance for Waterborne-Disease Outbreaks -- United States, 1995-1996
<snip>...six (16.2%) were single cases of primary amebic meningoencephalitis caused by Naegleria fowleri, all of which were fatal. <snip>
In 1995, six cases of primary amebic meningoencephalitis were attributed to Naegleria. All six of the infected children, who ranged in age from 4 to 11 years, died. Infection was acquired when the children swam in a shallow lake, river, pond, or canal. Five of the six cases were associated with exposure in Texas and one in Florida.
