News: Florida lake parasite

KingStefan

Well-Known Member
Wow. So that's why there's no swimming at the resort beaches!

It makes me wonder about taking those little ski-do type boats out. You can get pretty wet doing that.

Is there water skiing anywhere in WDW?
 

ImaYoyo

Active Member
Wow. So that's why there's no swimming at the resort beaches!

It makes me wonder about taking those little ski-do type boats out. You can get pretty wet doing that.

Is there water skiing anywhere in WDW?
Don't worry about being too concerned about that. The amoeba affects typically children/teens or elderly. It's active on the ground/bottom of warm lakes, during the hottest months of the year, and typically requires prolonged exposure to enter the body.
 

ClemsonTigger

Naturally Grumpy
Original Poster
Wow. So that's why there's no swimming at the resort beaches!

It makes me wonder about taking those little ski-do type boats out. You can get pretty wet doing that.

Is there water skiing anywhere in WDW?

The ameboa is in the soil on the bottom of the lake. Gets stirred up by walking on the bottom then diving where mucous membranes can come in contact (mouth/nose).

Disney personal watercraft are very popular...a little splash won't be a problem. There is still water skiing and parasailing on the lake. Again getting wet is really not the problem it's stirring up the bottom and submerging.

Even then, as the article says, it's still very rare. But if there were even one case traced to a Disney lake, you know what the media would do with it...:(
 

Rabflmom

Active Member
The ameboa is in the soil on the bottom of the lake. Gets stirred up by walking on the bottom then diving where mucous membranes can come in contact (mouth/nose).

Disney personal watercraft are very popular...a little splash won't be a problem. There is still water skiing and parasailing on the lake. Again getting wet is really not the problem it's stirring up the bottom and submerging.

Even then, as the article says, it's still very rare. But if there were even one case traced to a Disney lake, you know what the media would do with it...:(


Actually there was a death at Disney caused by the amoeba back in the early 80s not too long after my friend's son died from it here in Brevard county. It is very rare but a deadly amoeba that gets more active when the temps are in the 90s. For 30 years while living here in Florida my family's rule has been if the temps are 90 for 4 days- no more swimming or water skiing in the local lakes. Once the temps go down to less than 80 degrees in the ponds and lakes the amoeba won't be a problem.
 

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
Three deaths this year from the same amoeba infection. They think it has to do with the drought and low water levels that its been stirred up so much.

And it doesn't take prolonged exposure, you can jump in, disturb the bottom soil and be infected and it can infect anybody. What I find interesting is that in Florida the infection does not have to be reported to the CDC, so more people may have died from this, but you would never know. Its easy to misdiagnose and a death may be chalked up to the flu.

Another thing that I find disturbing is that, as published in earlier stories, the Florida Health Depts. do not have a public campaign about this. They say don't swim in the fresh water lakes, but do not push in schools and doctor's offices the reasons why. After a death earlier this year reporters covering the story asked a woman at a park why she was letting her kids swim there. The reporter explained his reasoning and the woman freaked because she had never been told about the potential danger. :brick:
 

dmbcrush5

Member
My DH competes in the Florida Half Ironman at Disney every year (mid-May). The swim portion of the race takes place in Bay Lake from the Fort Wilderness Beach. I would think that 1000 athletes would do a pretty good job of stirring up the bottom of the lake...
 

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
My DH competes in the Florida Half Ironman at Disney every year (mid-May). The swim portion of the race takes place in Bay Lake from the Fort Wilderness Beach. I would think that 1000 athletes would do a pretty good job of stirring up the bottom of the lake...

And thats one of the lakes they will not let you swim in at WDW. Does he wear nose clips? Thats one of the precautions they want you to follow.
I don't know how deep Bay Lake is, but the bottom soil is what shouldn't be disturbed. I guess since they are not walking on the bottom or diving down its less risky. :shrug:
 

Rabflmom

Active Member
My DH competes in the Florida Half Ironman at Disney every year (mid-May). The swim portion of the race takes place in Bay Lake from the Fort Wilderness Beach. I would think that 1000 athletes would do a pretty good job of stirring up the bottom of the lake...

Usually the amoeba are no threat till the mid summer because they remain inactive in cooler water.

Isn't there a triathoon or something that is done in October, too. My son mentioned something about whether they would use the lake or a pool and do laps instead. Might have been just a lifequard competition he was talking about, though. I might be mixing things up.
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
Actually there was a death at Disney caused by the amoeba back in the early 80s not too long after my friend's son died from it here in Brevard county. It is very rare but a deadly amoeba that gets more active when the temps are in the 90s. For 30 years while living here in Florida my family's rule has been if the temps are 90 for 4 days- no more swimming or water skiing in the local lakes. Once the temps go down to less than 80 degrees in the ponds and lakes the amoeba won't be a problem.
I had read this and wondered about it, at one point we were going to parasail but did not have time. I did see people waterskiing though.

And I wondered why my wife does not like lakes.
I love the lake, but we visit Mountain lakes, and there all you have to worry about are the very rare snakes (yes, even Rattlesnakes, on occasion, swimming by to say hi.. only seen them twice in all the trips though, and the little fish that like to bite, oh, and huge snapping turtles) :hammer: :ROFLOL:
 

shoppingnut

Active Member
And this is why I wouldn't put my toe into a lake that looks like the Hudson River. If you can't see your feet and what's around you, I'm not swimming there.
 

dmbcrush5

Member
No nose clips. Due to the water temperature they don't wear wet suits either. Two years ago the temps were in the high 90's on race day, but it's usually in the 80's, which is probably why it's not a problem.
 

ClemsonTigger

Naturally Grumpy
Original Poster
:lol:


Come north, people actually use the Hudson for drinking water. :wave:

...and it continues to be rated as the best drinking water around!

I had read this and wondered about it, at one point we were going to parasail but did not have time. I did see people waterskiing though.

I love the lake, but we visit Mountain lakes, and there all you have to worry about are the very rare snakes (yes, even Rattlesnakes, on occasion, swimming by to say hi.. only seen them twice in all the trips though, and the little fish that like to bite, oh, and huge snapping turtles) :hammer: :ROFLOL:

...and leeches, E. coli........
 

tigsmom

Well-Known Member
never seen leeches, or heard of E. coli at the lakes we visit. :lookaroun


Leeches are tons of fun. :lookaroun We get e coli problems here because of the large Canada goose population, they have stopped migrating and live here year round now. They foul all the parks and lakes. :fork:
 

DisneyGigi

Well-Known Member
Leeches are tons of fun. :lookaroun We get e coli problems here because of the large Canada goose population, they have stopped migrating and live here year round now. They foul all the parks and lakes. :fork:
I have seen them in creeks but not lakes, we don't have the goose problem here, can see where it would cause a problem.:lookaroun
 

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