Summers in Florida can really be hot in the mornings while afternoons are frequently rainy. Because of this, water usually collects and this could lead to the proliferation of amoeba as stagnant water is the perfect breeding ground.
According to studies, there are different kinds of amoeba, and some of them can cause various illnesses to humans such as dysentery, encephalitis, keratitis, Amoebiasis, and other deadly infections. There’s even a rare “brain-eating” amoeba that is known to enter the body through the nose. Because of these risks, health officials issued a warning to Floridians:
The aptly named Lake County has roughly 1,400 lakes, but health officials warn that beneath the surface at the spots where many Central Floridians cool off live a potentially deadly amoeba that thrive on warm, stagnant bodies of water, especially during the summer months.
“Normally, the exposure occurs when someone gets a quantity of water up their nose, and that leads to a brain and spinal cord infection,” said Paul Butler, senior public health service manager with the Florida Department of Health in Lake County.
Health officials are not only warning people to keep their head out of the water, but also, with water temperatures heating up, they advised people to avoid activities in fresh water altogether.
Even if you and your family are not the outdoor types, the “amoeba season” poses a real threat. There may be some spots inside your house that amoeba can multiply like in humid, warm rooms such as the basement or the attic.
To keep your family safe, you just have to keep everything dry inside the house and make sure that there is no standing water around. Roof leaks would also have to be fixed immediately because these make your home more accommodating for amoeba to thrive. If you encounter any roof leaks, you can contact reliable Sarasota roofing contractors.
The most trusted roofing contractors in Sarasota are from Roofing by Curry. Problems such as missing or torn shingles and storm damaged roofs can easily be fixed by our well trained and experienced crew and we’ll make sure your home is well ventilated to prevent microorganisms from growing.
(Article Excerpt from Potentially deadly amoeba threat rises as summer nears, www. www.mynews13.com, June 5, 2014)
