WDW's waters

Do people swim in them? Like by the Contemporary, do people just jump in and go for a swim?

If I rememebr correctly, swiming is off limits... Besides, have you seen that water? Do you really wanna swim in it? Yuck... :hurl:

You cannot swim in any of the lakes at WDW. The warm, still fresh waters of Florida harbor harmful bacteria (sorry I can't remember the name) so prolonged exposure is discouraged.

tigsmom said:

You cannot swim in any of the lakes at WDW. The warm, still fresh waters of Florida harbor harmful bacteria (sorry I can't remember /

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I think its gatorius snapahandoff, or something like that

Pumbas Nakasak said:

I think its gatorius snapahandoff, or something like that

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:lol::lol::lol:

Pumbas Nakasak said:

I think its gatorius snapahandoff, or something like that

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...

Pumbas Nakasak said:

I think its gatorius snapahandoff, or something like that

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*snort*

I remember when you could swim at the beaches outside of the Poly... *sigh* good times, good times...

At the time they told me that it was an amoeba problem, but I think that was just in order to make the problem sound less scary.

lawyergirl77 said:

*snort*
At the time they told me that it was an amoeba problem, but I think that was just in order to make the problem sound less scary.

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ORLANDO, Fla., July 25 (UPI) -- Florida Hospital Orlando listed a 12-year-old Oviedo, Fla., boy in critical condition Thursday from amoebas that attacked his brain after a swim in a central Florida lake.


The rare condition is not contagious, but it is usually fatal, said Dr. Jaime Carrizosa, an infectious disease specialist at the hospital.

"We're doing everything we can for him, but this is a very serious infection," Carrizosa said. "Once inside the body, these amoebas just divide and divide, and you will have an overwhelming infection very quickly."

Although the state has counted only 19 cases since 1962, the infectious amoebas are common in Florida's freshwater lakes and rivers. Doctors say they get into the brain after the swimmer takes them into his or her nostrils.

The amobebas live in the material on the bottoms of freshwater lakes, rivers and hot springs, and have also been found in swimming pools which have not been chlorinated.

The boy, who has not been identified, apparently picked up the infection at either Long Lake Park in Oveido or in the Conway Chain of Lakes in Orange County where he has been swimming recently.

Health officials said it did not make much sense to close a lake because of the amoebas, because so many bodies of water are infected. A 1999 study found that 46 percent of the lakes sampled contained the organism.

"If we wanted to avoid all potential exposures to this organism, we would have to close all bodies of water in the state of Florida," said Dr. Steven Wiersma of the Florida Department of Health.

Headaches and nausea are the first symptoms, followed by seizures and coma.

Doctors said little is known why one person will become infected and another will not. One theory is that it takes a lot of water jammed into the nasal passages, perhaps by falling off water skis or jumping into the water.

Copyright © 2002 United Press International

Didn't the problem with the water quality play a part in the closing of River Country?

Woody13 said:

ORLANDO, Fla., July 25 (UPI) -- Florida Hospital Orlando listed a 12-year-old Oviedo, Fla., boy in critical condition Thursday from amoebas that attacked his brain after a swim in a central Florida lake.

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Woody! Thats the article I was looking for (or one like it). Didn't two little boys die last year also?

Nothing personal, but thoughs lakes are dirty.

tigsmom said:

Woody! Thats the article I was looking for (or one like it). Didn't two little boys die last year also?

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I think that the most recent case (in Florida) was that 12 year old boy who succumbed to Primary Amoebic Meningoencephalitis (PAM) back on July 26, 2002. It's a very rare disease but obviously no one wants to take the chance of becoming infected with the amoeba (Naegleria fowleri trophozoites).

I think you may be remembering this news story:

"In July 2002, two boys in the Orlando area were affected after swimming in warm lakes, where they got the infections. One boy, 12, died after being infected by an amoeba (a microscopic organism) in the Conway chain of lakes. Being infected by this kind of amoeba is almost always fatal, as it is said to travel to the brain and not respond to antibiotics. Another boy, 15, was doing better as of this writing after battling a bacterial infection caught at Lake Talmadge. He reportedly had a cut, where the bacteria may have entered his body."

This is really scarry. I think I will shock my pool more often this summer. (And I don't even live in Florida!)

FLA.. A beutiful place to Live.. (just not in the summer.. and especially with out natural waters... whihc makes me happy our water comes from Rivers whihc move and under ground water.. which is usually safe..)

I wish their was a way to fix this problem... but scientists havn't come up with a way.. (other than clorinating the waters and killing the fish..)

There are parks all around my city that allow you to swim in lakes not unlike the Seven Seas Lagoon.

For the most part, I think all the Amoeba and E. Coli stuff is blown out of proportion.

MOST of the time...

wait...if my memory from my past trip serves me correctly....WL has the regular pool but also a sandy beach....why put a beach with what i believe had a lifeguard if you can't swim???!!! do they make you sign a waiver or something?

CaptainWonder said:

wait...if my memory from my past trip serves me correctly....WL has the regular pool but also a sandy beach....why put a beach with what i believe had a lifeguard if you can't swim???!!! do they make you sign a waiver or something?

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I've only ever seen a lifeguard at the WL beach (the Polynesian too) telling people they cannot swim at any beach in WDW. The beach is there to enjoy... walking, playing, sunbathing, etc, but not for swimming in.

This wasn't always the case, but because of the proliferation of this amoeba it has become necessary. My inlaws were even told by their condo association to not us the first batch of ice from their icemaker when they turn it on for the season because of the water sitting stagnant in the pipes.

uh...what about all those water sports they've got going on in the lake? You are more than likely to have contact with the water if you are water skiing, or para-sailing.

These bacteria and the sort are mostly on the bottom , so there fore if you enter into the lake from the sides you'll disturb the bottom and the bacteria can get on you. If you accidentally get into the lake when parasailing or when you are water skiing you will not be in contact with the bottom and there fore less likely to disturb the bottom and come in contact with the bad stuff.

There is still no way on this planet that you would get me into that water, it just looks nasty.