Maryland health officials are warning people to take precautions if they swim or fish in the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, saying that the summer's heat and the bay's pollution have made water conditions ripe for growth of dangerous vibrio bacteria.
Naturally occurring, vibrio can cause gastrointestinal distress and nasty skin infections — and they can be deadly for people with compromised immune systems, including those with cancer or diabetes. The bacteria thrive in warmer waters, which we've had with this record-hot summer, and in waters enriched by nutrients, as the Bay is.
There've been 24 cases of vibrio reported in Maryland so far this year. close to the average annual count of 30. Though none of the cases this year has been fatal, there have been eight hospitalizations, and there've been seven deaths attributed to vibrio since 2007. Officials note that the season this year is far from over and many cases likely go unreported.
The state health alert was issued this week after the Patuxent Riverkeeper, Fred Tutman, drew media attention to a handfull of cases in Calvert County. Those cases were first reported by Rona Kobell, a former Sun reporter, on a new blog produced by The Bay Journal. (Quite a splash for a new blog!) The county health officer, who initially pooh-poohed the number of cases there, now apparently plans to post warnings at local beaches.
Officials say bathers and anglers should avoid swallowing water from the bay and its tributaries, and should stay out of the water altogether if they have an open wound. They urge parents to check their children for cuts and scrapes, and to wash them immediately with soap if water gets near the wound.
They're also warning people not to eat raw oysters, since consumption of raw or poorly cooked shellfish is another way vibrio can enter the body and cause illness. (As a raw-bar addict, I'm not sure I can heed that warning, but certainly do intend to be more inquiring and perhaps choosy about the source of oysters I eat.)
Microbiologist Rita Colwell, a professor at he University of Maryland, College Park and at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, has studied vibrio for decades. She says a rise in illnesses is not unexpected under the circumstances, but no cause to panic.
"I don't anticipate a large outbreak," she told The Sun's Meredith Cohn. "But people need to take precautions, use common sense."
(Baltimore Sun photo by Barbara Haddock Taylor)