We have been contacted recently by several our our customers about information relating to a flesh eating amoeba called Naegleria fowleri. These inquires stem from the tragic death of a young woman at the U.S. National Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., on June 19th, 2016.
Below are remarks about this amoeba from Dr. Jennifer Cope, CDC infectious disease physician, relating to the incident . Her remarks are paraphrased from a weather.com webpage. Dr. Jennifer Cope, an infectious disease physician at the CDC, noted that an inadequate water sanitation system at the park (US National Whitewater Center) is the likely reason for the presence of the deadly amoeba. "The park relies on ultraviolet radiation and chlorine to clean the water. Under normal conditions, this would kill Naegleria, but because the parks man-made bodies of water are designed to look natural, they tend collect dirt and debris from the river which can interfere with the sanitation process", according to Cope. "The chlorine reacts with all that debris and is automatically consumed so that it is no longer present to deactivate a pathogen like Naegleria and the same is true about UV light", she said. The question we have been asked repeatedly is "Do I have to worry about this in my swimming pool?" The short answer is NO. The CDC has a general information page dealing with the Naegleria pathogen. One of the questions to the CDC on this page is: Question: "Can I get a Naegleria fowleri infection from a disinfected swimming pool?" Answer: "No. You cannot get a Naegleria fowleri infection from a properly cleaned, maintained, and disinfected swimming pool." We encourage you to visit the CDC GENERAL INFORMATION PAGE and WEBmd to get vital information on Naegleria fowleri . It is important to be properly informed. It is equally important to know the facts and not react on information you may receive that is not accurate. If you have any other questions or concerns about the Naegleria fowleri pathogen please call us at 609-698-4400 or email us at [email protected] Thank you, Robert Flynn Pool Water Experts
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Robert FlynnI started Pool Water Experts, LLC to give my customers better pool water and a better swim experience. Archives
November 2016
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