If you swim in warm OW- PLEASE READ!!

[Running Mommy]

Over on tri newbies they had a thread about a warning Disney was putting out about the swim portion of a tri they held this past weekend. Apparently there is an ameoba that thrives in warm lakes (80+ degrees I think). If this ameoba goes up your nose you can catch a nasty menegitis (sp?) and will be dead in a matter of days.
A link to the health dept warnings was put on it, and it sounded scary. But I thought to myself "They are just covering their butts. If it was THAT bad they would cancel the swim"...
And then I came across this thread on slowtwitch.

http://forum.slowtwitch.com/gforum.c...=unread#unread

Very sad, very scary stuff. The last thing I want to worry about when jumping in the water at my next race is this. But I wasn't even aware of this sort of thing, so I wanted you all to be aware as well. It sounds like nose plugs help, but personally I don't think I'd even take the chance to swim if I thought I might contract this horrible killer... Call me an alarmist, but I kinda like my life- alive and all...
Ya'll be safe out there!
Denise

[Tri Girl]

We'd heard that too and a microbiologist that is in our tri club said the really important thing is that it thrives in stagnant water. If the lake has mobility (like our lakes around here are always choppy due to wind), or if it has a current to it- you don't need to worry. It's just really warm, still water that is the problem.

Still scary, tho, huh?

[light_sabe_r]

Every body of open water has some danger to it.

The Amoeba is more common than you think. Can't remember the name of it but we studied it in Parisitology and it widespread down here in fresh stagnent water bodies... (Not that there's many of THOSE left...) It can cause encephilitis which will muck your brain up... then will either put you in a coma or kill you.

In short... Don't swallow the water and you'll be fine. Just do what you do in the pool.

We've got BULL SHARKS, JELLY FISH, and SEA LICE to contend with in our open swims... LUCKILY the worst thing I've seen happen so far is one of my mates getting tangled in Seaweed at the luke Harrop tri.

[Pedal Wench]

CNN is covering this story. It sounded like an urban myth, but it's the real deal.

[Blueberry]

Wow! I just did some Google searching and discovered that a kid died here (NC) from it. From a lake that is fairly large (and happens to be Raleigh's drinking water supply).

Time for nose plugs....apparently this thing can only attack when water goes way up your nose from a jump or a dive (or so says the state of NC - http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/p...ases/7_31.html)

CA

[DebW]

Time for nose plugs....apparently this thing can only attack when water goes way up your nose from a jump or a dive (or so says the state of NC - http://www.ils.unc.edu/parkproject/p...ases/7_31.html)

CA

No kayak rolling in stagnant water. The hanging upside down can get the water way up there. I always use a noseplug for practice rolls.

[Ladyrunner]

Great! Just when I got over my fear of dirty open water.

Thanks for letting us know!!