Sub-tropical beach swimmers more likely to fall ill--study

Initiated by a squad of researchers from the University of Miami, the study aimed to find the chances of illness for beach goers living in hot areas, while swimming in the warm waters.

"We found that when swimming in sub-tropical beach areas with no known pollution or contamination from sewage or runoff, you still have a chance of being exposed to the kind of microbes that can make you sick," said lead researcher Dr Lora Fleming, co-director of the Center for Oceans and Human Health (OHH) and professor of Epidemiology at the University of Miami.

The researchers found that the people living near South Florida beaches and those visiting them had more chances of falling ill while swimming or staying in the water.

"This information is especially important to take into account for children and the elderly, or if you have a compromised immune system and are planning a beach outing,” she informed.

Study Details
Investigators named the research ‘B E A C H E S’ (Beach Environmental Assessment and Characterization Human Exposure Study) and more than 1,300 people, who were regular visitors of the South Florida beaches, were recruited.

For this first largest epidemiological survey of its kind, the participants were divided into two separate groups by the researchers.

While the first group consisted of those study subjects who regularly swam, the second group subjects were asked to stay away from the water during the study period.

The researchers instructed the first group to submerge themselves completely in the water three times in a time span of fifteen minutes. Both the groups were called for follow-up of health, some days later.

On observation, the researchers found that the first group had a 1.76 times more chances of developing a gastrointestinal illness and had a 4.46 times increased risk of reporting fever or respiratory illness.

They were also had a six times more chance of developing skin illness than the second group that stayed out of the water.

"While people shouldn't avoid our beautiful beaches which are regularly monitored for water quality safety, we recommend taking simple precautions to reduce the risk of microbes so your visit to the beach can be more enjoyable," said Dr Samir Elmir, environmental administrator with the Miami Dade County Health Department.