COASTLINE OF BEACHES FORCED TO CLOSE OVER STOMACH-CHURNING DISCOVERY
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Swimmers have been warned to avoid several Maine beaches after officials made a repugnant discovery in the water.
Beaches in Portland, Ogunquit, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Camden, Rockport and more were flagged for high levels of bacteria on Friday, reported News Center Maine.
While members of the Maine Healthy Beaches program conducted routine testing, officials discovered alarming levels of enterococci bacteria - microorganisms that indicate possible contamination by fecal waste.
Maine Department of Environmental Protection Coordinator Meagan Sims told the local news outlet that signs are often posted around the shores to warn beachgoers if an advisory has been posted.
'Our protocol when we have elevated bacteria is to always make every effort to what we call re-sample that location,' Sims said.
Enterococcus does not cause flesh-rotting necrotizing fasciitis, but it still leads to severe health problems.
The bacteria are a common cause of urinary tract infections, endocarditis - an infection in the lining of heart valves - and blood infections.
It enters the body when contaminated water is swallowed or comes into contact with an open wound. Infection via wounds can lead to abscesses.
In addition to leading to UTIs, which affect the bladder, urethra, and kidneys, and endocarditis, enterococcus can cause bloodstream infections called bacteremia, meningitis leading to inflammation in the membranes surrounding the brain, and gum infections.
The infections are typically treated with antibiotics. But many strains have evolved to evade the medications, which poses challenges to treating them effectively.
In addition to potential bacteria exposure, other Maine officials are sounding the alarm on other beach safety hazards.
Lifeguards at Old Orchard Beach have had to recuse several people from rip currents and erosion caused by storms in the off season have presented new dangers.
'It's going to be a challenging summer for our public safety,' Old Orchard Beach Fire Chief John Gilboy told WMTW.
'The storms this past winter really really altered the beach and that is damaging a lot of the dunes. It's changed the ground of the ocean so that now we have sand bars in places that we didn't have, and now we have rip currents in places that we didn't have.'
At least five feet of sand has been washed away from under the pier, leaving rocks, debris and pipes exposed.
On Tuesday, dozens of beaches in San Diego were shut down due to sewage creating frighteningly high levels of bacteria in the open waters.
Water contact closures were issued for Silver Strand Shoreline, Imperial Beach Shorelines, and the Tijuana Slough Shoreline, along the U.S, Mexico border.
Advisories were issued for the La Jolla, Children's Pool, Coronado, Coronado Lifeguard Tower, the Ocean Beach, Dog Beach, the San Diego River outlet, Mission Bay, North Cove, and Vacation Isle.
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