SC - Re: Private: Pennsic diseases

Wed Jul 28 12:26:29 PDT 1999

Hello all, as a followup on Pennsic and Plagues.

I was browsing the CDC website, for no particular reason, and was intrigued to not the following:

1)   It would appear, from the papers and publications I read there, on the epidemiology of waterborne ilnesses, that when sudden stresses are placed on a public well-supplied watersupply (which is already stressed by a lowered watertable), that the incidence if certain waterborne diseases goes through the roof. Notable among the diseases mentioned consistently are 27nm "Norwalk-type" viruses. Yup! the old "Pennsic Plague" is chiefly caused in this way. 
- - - IIRC, PW 13 was the first time that we had over 8,000 people when there was relatively little rainfall in the weeks beforehand. I posit that the unprecidented stress we gave to the Cooper's (at the time relatively primitive) well and water supply, coupled with the lowered water table (even though it was NOT an "Official" drought), predisposed us to the Plague, to a degree that we had not previously experienced. 
Now the Coopers have gone to considerable expense to upgrade the water supply, and are bringing in lots of water, but we will still be placing quite a load on the well system there. So I believe that it will be wise to take more than the usual precautions.
Note that Norwalk type viruses are 12 TIMES more resistant to simple chlorine than most other waterborne bugs! 
Boiling all cooking and drinking water is the best alternative.

2)   It would also appear that when a water table is lower than normal, then sudden, torrential rainfalls will backwash fecal and other surface waste into the water table to mush higher degrees than is normal, raising fecal coloform bugs, and other contaminants, to an alarming degree within a day or so and maintaining the high counts for weeks.
If there are more than a couple of these Pennsic "gullywashers", without some sustained soaking rain in between to raise the general water table, then there could also bee problems in this area as well.

Please note that the accidental ingestion of contaminated water in streams and lakes and other recreational water, are one of the CHIEF VECTORS for non-food realted Typhus and Shigellosis (dysentery) in the US. 
Please be very careful in and near the streams, lakes and swimming holes.
(One of the outbreaks of fecal coloform related illness that killed some kids a few years ago occurred when the kids were playing in the sand next to a stream which had some dirty diapers washed up on the shore upstream!)

This stuff is nothing to take chances with! especially if you are bring "children" (a perfectly period word for offspring, BTW) to the War.

brandu

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