Free Hepatitis A Vaccines Offers To Imperial Beach Users
Outside of the Milan, IL McDonald's, the one place where you really should not be unless you have a Hepatitis A vaccine is Imperial Beach, CA.
That's because northbound ocean currents funnel the polluted water from the Tijuana River into the Imperial Beach surf. To say that the Mexican waters are polluted is to put it mildly. In addition to the usual sewage and garbage debris there are all the elements of Mexico's lively drug trade, including all those used needles and broken vials.
A 2007 survey by the nonprofit environmental group Wildcoast found that 60 percent of regular ocean users at Imperial Beach suffered from illnesses caused by water contamination.
In part of because of that study and past volunteer efforts, public health workers were on the beach Saturday offering free Hepatitis A vaccines to surfers and swimmers alike. San Diego State University studies have shown Hepatitis A is present in 80 percent of water samples taken from the beach.
Comments (2)
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This article says "San Diego State University studies have shown hepatitis A in 80 percent of water samples taken from the beach" That's only true for the samples taken off IB pier during wet weather. The study says, "The concentrations of Hepatitis A virus (HAV) and enteroviruses were below the limit of detection for all dry weather samples colected at IB." (http://publichealth.sdsu.edu/publications/gersb...)
The study says, "Over a two year period from 2003 to 2005, a total of 20 samples were assayed at two sites during both wet and dry weather: the surf zone at the mouth of the Tijuana River and the surfzone near the pier at Imperial Beach (B), California (about 2 km north of the mouth of the Tijuana River.) Hepatitis A virus (HAV) concentrations were detected in 79 and 93% of the wet-weather samples, respectively....The concentrations of HAV and enteroviruses were below the limit of detection for all dry weather samples collected at IB."
Daniel - April 5, 2011 8:46 AM
Our NGO needs Vaccine for Hepatitis A,B, and C