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View Full Version : Spring water tainted near AT in NC/TN



OnHighPlaces
09-14-2006, 05:48
Hi Folks, seen this on 13 WLOS news 9/13/06. The referenced location is near the AT along the NC/TN border (Madison County). Click on link below for article.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/NEWS01/60913094/1102

SGT Rock
09-14-2006, 06:14
I am assuming that this farm along the AT is in or near Hot Springs.

Chip
09-14-2006, 07:33
I am assuming that this farm along the AT is in or near Hot Springs.

More info to be released as the investigation moves forward (per the Madison County Health Dept.) They are not giving the location at this time.
:)

Lone Wolf
09-14-2006, 07:35
Probably a buncha dirty hippy farms.

Sly
09-14-2006, 07:45
Wonder if they're testing the spring water that hikers would use?

TOW
09-14-2006, 07:54
I wonder what the cause of the outbreak would be?

SGT Rock
09-14-2006, 07:56
If the well is in a town, or at least near one or another residence, then I would suspect a leaching from a septic tank source into the well.

I am vaccinated against Hep A and B thank goodness.

TOW
09-14-2006, 08:17
If the well is in a town, or at least near one or another residence, then I would suspect a leaching from a septic tank source into the well.

I am vaccinated against Hep A and B thank goodness.

That is true, sewage is one of the leading causes in cases like this isn't it?

SGT Rock
09-14-2006, 08:31
Oral/fecal transimission, a facy way to say poo in your mouth.



What is hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A is a viral infection that affects the liver. The liver becomes inflamed, tender, and swollen. Patches of liver tissue may be damaged.

How does it occur?
Hepatitis A is caused by infection with the hepatitis A virus.
An infected person may pass hepatitis A to others by not washing his or her hands (especially after going to the bathroom) before handling food that others are going to eat. Hepatitis A can also be picked up from contaminated water or by eating shellfish taken from contaminated waters.
What are the symptoms?
Symptoms generally appear 2 to 6 weeks after infection with the virus. Hepatitis A is often so mild that there are no obvious symptoms, especially in children.
The disease usually begins with flulike symptoms:
• loss of appetite
• fever
• general achiness
• fatigue.Smokers may lose their taste for cigarettes.

Other symptoms may follow after several days:
• nausea and vomiting
• foul breath and bitter taste in the mouth
• dark urine
• yellowish skin and eyes (jaundice)
• pain just below the ribs on the right side, especially when pressure is applied
• pale-colored bowel movements that may be looser than normal.How is it diagnosed?
Your health care provider will talk to you about when and how your symptoms developed. He or she will examine your skin, eyes, and especially your abdomen to see if your liver is enlarged or tender. Your provider will use urine and blood tests to diagnose your condition.

How is it treated?
The usual treatment is bed rest, a balanced diet, and avoiding alcohol for at least 6 months. You will not have to stay in the hospital unless you have a very serious case.
Antibiotics are not useful in treating hepatitis.
How long will the effects last?
Recovery from hepatitis A usually takes 4 to 8 weeks. The disease rarely has lasting effects such as permanent liver damage.
Hepatitis that lasts more than 6 months usually isn't caused by hepatitis A infection.
How can I take care of myself?
• Rest in bed until your fever is gone, urine color is normal, and jaundice lessens. Ask your health care provider how much bed rest you need.
• As your symptoms improve, you may gradually increase your level of activity. It is best to avoid too much physical exertion until your health care provider tells you it's OK.
• Eat small, balanced meals, even when you feel nauseous, but avoid foods that do not appeal to you. Soft drinks, juices, and hard candy may help reduce nausea.
• Follow your health care provider's instructions for taking medicine to relieve your symptoms.
• Avoid taking certain drugs that are processed in the liver. Ask your health care provider which drugs these are.
• Do not drink alcohol until your health care provider says it's safe.What can be done to help prevent hepatitis A?
Hepatitis A can be spread only by people with active infections. It is usually contagious for 2 to 3 weeks before symptoms appear and for 2 to 3 weeks afterward. During this period, others can pick up the virus by touching anything contaminated with the blood, stool, saliva, and possibly other body fluids of an infected person.

An injection of immune (gamma) globulin is usually given right after you have been exposed to contaminated food or have had contact with an infected person. Immune globulin may not always prevent hepatitis A, but it may make it milder. The protection begins almost immediately but it lasts for just 2 to 4 months. A vaccine specific for hepatitis A is also now available. The first shot should be given at least 2 weeks before a person plans to be in an area where the disease is common. For adults the first shot is usually followed by a booster shot 6 to 12 months later. This vaccine may protect against hepatitis A for many years.

Nean
09-14-2006, 08:48
[quote=SGT Rock]If the well is in a town, or at least near one or another residence, then I would suspect a leaching from a septic tank source into the well.

[quote]

I begged the Madison County Health Dept. for months to come out and check our property. I was even told someone would be coming out w/ the building inspector, but it did not happen. I finally gave up when they finally told me I had too dig up my yard and pay them 50 bucks. My main worry was that the septic was put in w/o a permit and to close to my spring. They didn't care. This doesn't surprise me.

Gray Blazer
09-14-2006, 12:41
I wonder what the cause of the outbreak would be?

Could be bigfoot. I hear he's been spotted in the area.

Brushy Sage
09-14-2006, 18:12
Additional information. Re Asheville Citizen-Times, the farm is near Sams Gap.

http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060914/NEWS01/60914010

mweinstone
09-14-2006, 18:14
this requires more thaught

Lone Wolf
09-14-2006, 20:22
It's that new hostel/commune/doper farm near Sam's gap.

ncmtns
09-14-2006, 21:50
does aqua mira kill hepatitis?

SGT Rock
09-15-2006, 01:54
Iodine does, chlorine does, I imagine Aqua Mira does since it is a type of Chlorine.

Filters do not. The Hep virus is something like 0.018 microns and gets through filters. I checked PURs sight and MSR and they both say to kill viruses you need to also add chemicals to your water.

TIDE-HSV
09-15-2006, 07:40
,reluctantly, to add the MicroPur tabs after filtering. I'm doing a three day in the Kephart Prong area, traveling over to LeConte. Every drop we drink will drain from either the Icewater Springs or the LeConte areas. There's less traffic on the AT at this time of year, but, so far as LeConte is concerned, it has what amounts to a permanent village on top - with 55 of the inhabitants turning over daily. I hate the taste of chlorine and iodine, but I hate the idea of hepatitis even more. I had toxic hep once from a drug interaction between niacin and Seldane, now off the market. It's no fun...

TOW
09-16-2006, 09:46
Dan Gallagher from Bluff Mountain Outfitters emailed me this update...........................
.................................................. .................................................. ........................
"No I don't believe it was a spring that got them.........

I believe the folks that got sick walked off trail at Sams gap down rd on the right side is an old bus and green house that serves food and it has been known for some time that folks have been getting sick before arriving to Erwin after eating there, it was reported to Health Dept and USFS because they had an advertisement for their eatery at the shelters.

but maybe I am wrong but that was the last thing that I heard."

generoll
09-17-2006, 23:22
is this on the Tennessee side of Sams GAp or the North Carolina side? This 'hostel' i mean.

Nean
09-18-2006, 00:49
is this on the Tennessee side of Sams GAp or the North Carolina side? This 'hostel' i mean.

Madison County is in North Carolina.

SGT Rock
09-18-2006, 02:02
Good point. When I first heard this I though "Madison Country is over by Memphis, how the hell could that affect the AT". Then I realized that they meant Madison County NC.

generoll
09-18-2006, 08:27
I know Madison County is in NC, but the Gap is essentially the border between TN and NC and I wasn't clear on where this "bus" eatery was. I up there a couple of times this Spring and didn't notice anything like that. I just wondered if it was a permanent fixture near Sams Gap and which side it was on. Towards Erwin or towards Marshall.

Nean
09-18-2006, 09:00
I know Madison County is in NC, but the Gap is essentially the border between TN and NC and I wasn't clear on where this "bus" eatery was. I up there a couple of times this Spring and didn't notice anything like that. I just wondered if it was a permanent fixture near Sams Gap and which side it was on. Towards Erwin or towards Marshall.

Since it is in Madison county, towards Marshall. :)

orangebug
09-18-2006, 10:36
We aren't sure where it is, and we aren't that sure that it is at a spring.

Apparently, the story is that there is a contaminated water source associated with some facility near the trail. A few years ago, we had a similar event associated with viral contamination of tap water supply at a convenience store in VA near the trail.

It is a little early to suggest that this event should alter hikers' strategies dealing with water.

generoll
09-18-2006, 14:48
.

It is a little early to suggest that this event should alter hikers' strategies dealing with water.[/quote]

Dunno Orange, this has me thinking that maybe I should keep my polar pure in my possible sack after all.

Brrrb Oregon
09-18-2006, 16:31
It is a little early to suggest that this event should alter hikers' strategies dealing with water.

Dunno Orange, this has me thinking that maybe I should keep my polar pure in my possible sack after all.

My feeling is, if is reasonable likely that humans, cows, or even beavers might be defecating too close to my water, I have to ask myself how upset I would be about a case of diarrhea or a go-round with giardia. Those aren't usually life-threatening diseases.

If it is a heavily-travelled trail or in cow country, I'd hold out for purified water. There is no reason to make yourself of interest to the health department. If I were older than I am or had the kids along, I'd define the conditions even more cautiously than that, even.

Of course, by far the most likely way to get an enteric disease is to forget to wash your own hands well enough, or to forget that most hikers don't wash their hands well enough. (Truth be known, most people in the "civilized" world could use some lessons on how to wash after they use the toilet!)

What is interesting is that snow run-off may actually be more contaminated than lake water. Appararently, the top few inches of a lake get some good UV-zapping over the course of a day, while a rapidly running stream may be picking up all sorts of things you'd just as soon not drink: http://www.latimes.com/travel/destinations/northerncalifornia/la-os-giardia26jul26,1,7847356.story?page=2&coll=la-travel-northerncalifornia