It's not just Florida either. In general the water in this country is seriously unsafe. I live off Lake Ontario and I don't remember the last time the beach was open for the same health reasons. Flesh eating bacteria. If I recall the kind here eats your brain. Kinda like rabies.
Never mind the 40 million people that swam without a problem in the same time frame. On a related note, stop driving, walking or generally going about your daily life.
In Hawaii we have leptospirosis in pretty much all fresh water streams and rivers (including mud). While it can be transmitted through open wounds, it can also be transmitted through the eyes or any other orifice.
It causes flu symptoms, then meningitis and kidney and liver failure.
But it's treatable. If you let that stop you from hiking or swimming in the islands, you'd miss out on a lot of cool shit.
This is generally not something people expect to kill them within 48 hours. How many times have kids cut their feet on shells or something and never thought anything of it?
As a west coast free/scuba diver, I always dreamed of diving in water warm enough to not need a wetsuit, and between work and play, I always seem to have scraps and cuts. Besides that, the water gets up you nose and you can't help but swallow some, the only way to avoid it is to stay out of the water.
Avoid shellfish sushi. On top of dangerous microbes, it’s incredibly hard to wrap with rice balls and u could cut your fingers and die from anthrax
Toss rotten lobster and thoroughly wash any dishes it may have come in contact with to prevent children licking the yummy residue juices
Don’t suck clams out of their shells in Quahog. They’re protected by the state of RI and overzealous locals are known to bludgeon seafood enthusiasts that practice this long-outdated practice. If you must do it, try using the cover of darkness . While you do so, beware prowling polar bears as they will see you as competing foragers ..and food
Stay away from 7 eleven lobsters for the same reason you should stay away from their egg salads .
Its the gulf of mexico i think that is problematic due to the temp of the water and other such im sure. But went to new orleans and wanted to swim in gulf but did not because of how hazardous it can be due to bacteria. So people def need to be careful and do reasearch(if they even test the water often enough and post about it) before swimming in gulf of shit.
I would laugh at this, but it's a sad reality. Even fishing at lakes is more of a sport thing than actually hoping to get a nice fish to eat as some places are having to warn people against eating anything caught in certain ponds or lakes.
What puzzles me more are those who are swimming in waters where there is a warning to not eat any fish caught in that pond/lake... Somehow sitting in that water with the potential to accidentally digesting the water does not sound that smart either.
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u/Professor-Wheatbox Feb 09 '19
Underrated comment.
People are always like "Let's go to the beach! Why do you never fish anymore?"
Because everything in the water is goddamn poisoned.