by "Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
Published 01/01/2017 at 14:09
by "Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
Published 01/01/2017 at 14:09
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STARS: 9
From the beach! ^_^
"S65" (granthp)
01/01/2017 at 14:15, STARS: 0
I see no sharks, or any aquatic life for that matter. Are the fries any good? I’ve been pining for good fries for days.
"lone_liberal" (token-liberal)
01/01/2017 at 14:17, STARS: 1
Soon...
I’ll be in Maui in late February and I can’t wait.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
01/01/2017 at 14:22, STARS: 0
Is that weird flesh eating virus gone yet? My wife has been irrationally scared of going to the Gulf for a while now. Haven’t been since 2015 despite living less than 3 hours from the coast.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/01/2017 at 14:27, STARS: 1
The first photo was bad enough, the second is downright mean. Greetings from the snowfall epicenter of that last nor’easter.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
01/01/2017 at 14:47, STARS: 4
Vibrio bacteria exist anywhere there’s salt water, all the time, 24/7/365. It’s never going to go away. It’s a normal part of any marine ecosystem.
There are certain conditions which make it occur in greater concentrations or which make it more likely that pathogenic strains of the virus might be occurring in higher concentrations. Those conditions include a large influx of fresh water into the ocean (the very wet winter and spring of 2016 is what caused most of this year’s surge in vibrio counts).
Local water testing sites don’t often check for vibrio as part of their routine water sample collecting. They tend to test for E. coli (the prevalence of which can be tied to similar triggers as Vibrio). If one is present, there’s a good chance the other is, too. Vibrio also most often causes the same types of illnesses that E. coli does, namely, intestinal illnesses. It is also carried in the same animals that can host E. coli, such as shellfish (always cook your catches!)
The majority of cases where Vibrio caused “flesh eating” and severely injured or killed people occurred in individuals who entered the water with open wounds, weakened immune systems, or both. The average healthy adult with no open wounds stands small chance of suffering a life-threatening infection (though the chances aren’t completely at zero).
Furthermore, the number of beaches where pathogenic Vibrio was detected at levels that could pose a public health threat was incredibly small last year. Texas has 735 miles of coastline, for instance. A small handful of people (less than five... IIRC, it was only three), contracted aggressive Vibrio infections at Galveston and Port Aransas.
Two beaches. Out of dozens of popular beachside towns and hundreds of entirely publicly accessible coastline (it’s illegal in this state to block public accessibility to the beach).
So, to recap:
1. Vibrio exists all the time.
2. Even if a pathogenic strain exists in your local waters at high enough concentrations, it’s very unlikely you will “catch” it if you are a healthy adult with no open wounds.
3. You can guesstimate water conditions by looking at the data from monitoring stations which typically test for E. coli because the two bacteria proliferate in similar conditions.
4. Your wife is unduly worried over a non-issue.
Bonus: If you want to check conditions on Texas beaches, check out Texas Beach Watch at: https://cgis.glo.texas.gov/Beachwatch/
Here’s what today looks like:
All beaches green (meaning good water quality). Similar government websites should be available for other coastal states.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
01/01/2017 at 14:50, STARS: 0
That’s pretty beautiful, too. :)
Happy new year!
"Rico" (ricorich)
01/01/2017 at 14:51, STARS: 1
Damn Xylo you LIT! Happy New Year hope it brings many blessings to you and your family.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
01/01/2017 at 16:13, STARS: 0
Just caught a typo in my second graf. Typed “virus” when I meant “bacteria,” but it’s too late to edit now.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/01/2017 at 16:15, STARS: 1
Thanks! Happy new year to you as well.
"EL_ULY" (uly)
01/01/2017 at 17:57, STARS: 1
As long as the sand doesn’t fly onto your yummies, it’s all good. I was at the beach yesterday with the TTB. Silly bug loves to hoon on the beach
"gogmorgo - rowing gears in a Grand Cherokee" (gogmorgo)
01/01/2017 at 21:07, STARS: 0
I went to a beach yesterday too. My brother’s not the best photographer.
"Xyl0c41n3" (i-am-xyl0c41n3)
01/02/2017 at 00:53, STARS: 1
Igualmente, Rico! ^_^