Hepatitis

I got hep A shots. I also started a preemptive antibiotic routine when the water I was to be exposing myself to was compromised due to excessive runoff. A few swimmers that didn't had a couple/few weeks of stomach issues.

Many water-ways are ,...."not pure". Is it a good idea to get a hep. shot ? I wondered about that myself and so decided to get the shots for both A & B. Keep in mind that it takes several shots over a 6 month period, so plan ahead. More importantly, keep your tetanus (sp?) shots up to date. -LBJ

I got hep A shots. I also started a preemptive antibiotic routine when the water I was to be exposing myself to was compromised due to excessive runoff. A few swimmers that didn't had a couple/few weeks of stomach issues. What antibiotic did you use? I'm thinking of doing this before the Potomac River swim, just in case.

What antibiotic did you use? I'm thinking of doing this before the Potomac River swim, just in case. cipro. but i have since heard that it is not good for athletes. i am allergic to penicylin (sp). tak to you md about it.

How safe is the Schuylkill in Philly? Has anyone done the Philly area tri's that start there? Do you take the precautions mentioned above? There's a chance (not sure now) that I might take the swim leg of a tri relay team and the swim is in the Schuylkill in the summer. Last year, the swim in the Oly. tri had to be cancelled due to water conditions (there had been a storm and the water was very fast moving and full of debris), but normally the swim doesn't get cancelled. However, even so, some have told me that I should at least have a wetsuit since the river's so dirty. I'm not sure how much protection a wetsuit would be (and I'm not expecting any toothpick fish like the guy who's swimming the Amazon). ;) Sooo in list form, my questions: 1. What precautions if any do I need to take for a Schuylkill swim, healthwise? 2. Is a wetsuit really a necessity and does it really offer any protection in polluted water? thanks all! Thanks

No precautions necessary, the race director has to get go ahead from the public health people for the race to go on. If the fecal coliform counts are above safe swim levels then the swim will be cancelled. The samples are taken on the race course very close to race time. If the conditions change they will retest the water such as the case with rain storms. Personally its not the fecal coliform that would worry me. I would practice not swallowing the water and have some clean water to rinse off with right after.

No precautions necessary, the race director has to get go ahead from the public health people for the race to go on. If the fecal coliform counts are above safe swim levels then the swim will be cancelled. The samples are taken on the race course very close to race time. If the conditions change they will retest the water such as the case with rain storms. How safe is the Schuylkill in Philly? Has anyone done the Philly area tri's that start there? Do you take the precautions mentioned above? There's a chance (not sure now) that I might take the swim leg of a tri relay team and the swim is in the Schuylkill in the summer. Last year, the swim in the Oly. tri had to be cancelled due to water conditions (there had been a storm and the water was very fast moving and full of debris), but normally the swim doesn't get cancelled. However, even so, some have told me that I should at least have a wetsuit since the river's so dirty. I'm not sure how much protection a wetsuit would be (and I'm not expecting any toothpick fish like the guy who's swimming the Amazon). ;) Sooo in list form, my questions: 1. What precautions if any do I need to take for a Schuylkill swim, healthwise? 2. Is a wetsuit really a necessity and does it really offer any protection in polluted water? thanks all! Thanks

I would be worried about fecal coliform. Having contracted Hep A through water contact (I believe, can’t prove it) I would suggest that every open water swimmer or surfer be immunized with Hep A and B. These illnesses are nothing to sneeze at. Testing procedures for contaminated water are iffy. It takes a while for results to come back. If you test the day of the swim you won’t know results for a day or two, due to the need for incubation. If you test days before the swim you might miss a spill that has just happened. Test do not check for a host of other agents that can harm you. I will not surf or swim in the Pacific for 72 hours after a storm. (unless it is really good) I have my immunizations. I still become sick on occasion due to the nastiness that we drain into our ocean. Miles