Another boy dies swimming in a fresh water lake in Orlando

[leanne11]

on the beach with the hands or feet or just cooling off in it, it says no swimming but they think it's ok, is it not, thanks

 

[MissionMouse]

Here is some additional information from a recent article related to another death in Arizona.

According to the CDC, Naegleria infected 23 people from 1995 to 2004. This year health officials say they've noticed a spike in cases, with six Naegleria-related cases so far — all of them fatal.

Though infections tend to be found in southern states, Naegleria has been found almost everywhere in lakes, hot springs, even some swimming pools. Still, the CDC knows of only several hundred cases worldwide since its discovery in Australia in the 1960s.

The amoeba typically live in lake bottoms, grazing off algae and bacteria in the sediment. People become infected when they wade through shallow water and stir up the bottom. If someone allows water to shoot up the nose — say, by doing a cannonball off a cliff — the amoeba can latch onto the person's olfactory nerve.

The amoeba destroys tissue as it makes its way up to the brain.

People who are infected tend to complain of a stiff neck, headaches and fevers, Beach said. In the later stages, they'll show signs of brain damage such as hallucinations and behavioral changes.

Once infected, most people have little chance of survival. Some drugs have been effective stopping the amoeba in lab experiments, but people who have been attacked rarely survive.

It seems that children are more likely to get infected, and boys are infected more often than girls. Experts don't know why.

Central Florida authorities started an amoeba telephone hot line advising people to avoid warm, standing water, or any areas with obvious algae blooms.

 

[Feralpeg]

There is currently a lawsuit underway against an apartment complex in Orlando. Another young boy died from the amoeba and he had only been in the apartment complex swimming pool. He jumped in to help a girl who was in trouble. Two days later, he became sick and died. Apparently, the complex did not keep the chemical levels right in the pool and the amoeba grew in the pool.

Another lawsuit was filed against the Orlando Watersports Complex. That is where one of the other boys swam before becoming ill.

 

[Seahunt]

And did you notice on the local news a couple weeks ago they reported that the people participating in the Orlando Triathlon had to sign waivers/use nose plugs because of the lake swimming portion of the event?

From local6:

Hundreds of athletes who participated in a popular Orlando triathlon Saturday were required to sign waivers notifying them of the dangers of swimming in hot lakes and were given the chance to skip the water portion of the event in the wake of several recent amoeba-related deaths.

Warnings were issued to Central Florida swimmers this month after a 14-year-old boy died of amoebic meningitis and two others died of amoebic encephalitis after spending time in lakes.

A portion of the OUC Downtown Orlando Triathlon Saturday will involve swimming through Lake Underhill which is hotter than 80 degrees.

Officials with the Central Florida Sports Commission said they have been investigating the best way to handle the situation for months.

Each participant was given a nose clip for the swim and had the option of avoiding the swim portion of the event.

Athletes also signed waivers that notified them of the chance of contracting amoeba-related illnesses in the water.

Some athletes said they were concerned but have trained too hard not to participate.

"I'm really concerned, yes, but I'm going to try to do my best to take the right precautions and wear the nose clips for sure and keep my fingers crossed," triathlete Jeff Herb said before the contest.

Swimmers who did not participate in the swimming portion of the event were not be able to qualify for awards.

The city of Orlando also recently posted a swim at your own risk signs, warning athletes of the potential danger.

Watch Local 6 News for more on this story.

 

[gardenia]

I hope a lot of people see this on the boards before coming down on vacation. Everytime we visit WDW - we live in Florida - I cringe to see parents letting their children go into the lake waters at the resorts, completely ignoring the signs. They think wading and playing in the water is okay as long as the kids are not "swimming". I think it's like playing Russian Roulette with their lives.

 

[GEM]

We actually had a case in Oklahoma last summer where a small boy contracted (and died from) this after playing in a puddle at the park. It was one of the sadest news stories I ever read.

 

[Sammie]

It is like so many things at Disney, people ignore the signs and/or think they don't pretain to them.

There is only so much Disney can do to protect people from themselves. Sadly though children truly do not know better and have to suffer the consequences of stupid parents.

 

[wark]

This is a goose-bumpy kind of strange... I just read about this earlier today on a non-Disney board I frequent, from a poster in Phoenix.

 

[Kviolet143]

Please don't BASH.. I do not consider myself a stupid person But- on our trip to disney I saw the sign for no SWIMMING and took it literally, My son & walked along the water not seeing or knowing there was any danger to it-
I would never have let him swim there but I didnt know it was harmful to have our toes in the water-

I just wanted to point out that there are sincerely people who do not know it is dangerous

 

[mickeymyfavorite]

oh! god that is just horrible...........my heart goes out to the family.

we were in CB July 2006 and me and my son was swiming and we heard screams coming from the other side of the pool, it was a little boy that drowned, well I will tell you that the lifeguards acted so fast you wouldn't belive it, and the paramedics came so quick you would think they were already there. The boys grandmother thought he was playing dead mans float. oh my heart broke for her

It was sad the boy didn't make it. my son was so scared he didn't want to swin for the rest of the vacation, we had 2 days left, and it was July.

 

[a1tinkfans]

oh! god that is just horrible...........my heart goes out to the family.

we were in CB July 2006 and me and my son was swiming and we heard screams coming from the other side of the pool, it was a little boy that drowned, well I will tell you that the lifeguards acted so fast you wouldn't belive it, and the paramedics came so quick you would think they were already there. The boys grandmother thought he was playing dead mans float. oh my heart broke for her

It was sad the boy didn't make it. my son was so scared he didn't want to swin for the rest of the vacation, we had 2 days left, and it was July.

Horrifically sad story about the recent death of a child.
I honestly never realized how serious this was. I recall many years ago at resort sitting at waters edge with my then small child. I really think I was under the impression/concerned about ear infections, how crazy is that??? and NEVER even thought about anything more serious. Looking back, how very scary.
mickeymyfavorite: How awful to be witness to such a terrible event while at Disney.

And hello from a neighbor too!

Sending thoughts and prayers for this family!!!

 

[ConcKahuna]

Please don't BASH.. I do not consider myself a stupid person But- on our trip to disney I saw the sign for no SWIMMING and took it literally, My son & walked along the water not seeing or knowing there was any danger to it-
I would never have let him swim there but I didnt know it was harmful to have our toes in the water-

I just wanted to point out that there are sincerely people who do not know it is dangerous

You just have to stop and think of why they might not allow swimming.

Common reasons for no swimming signs in Florida:

Riptide danger. This one isnt going to be applicable in lakes.

Jellyfish/Sharks. Also not an issue in lakes.

Hazardous debris in the water. This is normally an issue with deeper or murky water where you cant see the bottom.

Alligators. A big issue in lakes. Alligator attacks are also very likely to happen in shallow water as the gators are comming up to bask.

Chemical contamination. Especially in central FL, there are a lot of phosphate pits. These can contaminate waterways with everything from phosphates (of course) to mercury, uranium, lead, etc. Going near the water is no good in those places.

Biological hazards. These would be things like the amoeba.

Also, all of the waterways at WDW that I've seen have actually 2 signs. The big "No Swimming" with a smaller "Do not feed the alligators" directly below it.

 

[GEM]

Also, all of the waterways at WDW that I've seen have actually 2 signs. The big "No Swimming" with a smaller "Do not feed the alligators" directly below it.

We rent boats on every trip and we've explored all the waterways around the MK area, Epcot area, and DD. I don't ever recall seeing any sign about alligators anywere on Disney property.

I have seen signs at places like Blue Springs, Homosassa, Wekiwa, etc. that say things like "Swim at Your Own Risk" with a picture of an alligator. That's plenty for me! But, I don't think the alligator signs exist at Disney World. If they do, they've somehow been totally invisible to me for the last 10 years. Maybe your're thinking of somewhere else?

(I'm NOT saying it's a good idea to swim or even wade in those lakes, I'm just curious about the existence of the alligator signs.)

 

[mickeymyfavorite]

Horrifically sad story about the recent death of a child.
I honestly never realized how serious this was. I recall many years ago at resort sitting at waters edge with my then small child. I really think I was under the impression/concerned about ear infections, how crazy is that??? and NEVER even thought about anything more serious. Looking back, how very scary.
mickeymyfavorite: How awful to be witness to such a terrible event while at Disney.

And hello from a neighbor too!

Sending thoughts and prayers for this family!!!

Thansks for the reply.............and big hello to you neighbor.