Department of Health warns of elevated fecal contamination at Hanakaʻōʻō Beach in Lahaina

The state Department of Health is advising residents and visitors of elevated levels of enterococci, a bacteria found in feces, at Hanakaʻōʻō Beach.

Levels of 406 per 100 milliliter have been detected during routine beach monitoring, the department reported. The Department of Health Clean Water Branch provides beach monitoring and notification through its beach program.

The advisory for this beach is posted because testing for enterococci indicate that potentially harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa or parasites may be present in the water, the department said. Swimming at beaches with pollution in the water may sicken people who come in contact with it.

Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are vulnerable and the most likely populations to develop illnesses or infections after coming into contact with polluted water, usually while swimming.

Fortunately, while swimming-related illnesses can be unpleasant, they are usually not very serious, health officials said. They require little or no treatment or get better quickly upon treatment, and they have no long-term health effects.

The most common illness associated with swimming in water polluted by fecal pathogens is gastroenteritis. It occurs in a variety of forms that can have one or more of the following symptoms: nausea, vomiting, stomachache, diarrhea, headache or fever. Other minor illnesses associated with swimming include ear, eye, nose and throat infections. In highly polluted water, swimmers may occasionally be exposed to more serious diseases.

Not all illnesses from a day at the beach are from swimming. Food poisoning from improperly refrigerated picnic lunches may also have some of the same symptoms as swimming-related illnesses, including stomachache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. At any given time and place, we are constantly exposed to a variety of microorganisms that have the potential of making us ill.

This advisory will remain in effect until water sample results no longer exceed the threshold level of 130 enterococci per 100 milliliter.

For more information, see: http://eha-cloud.doh.hawaii.gov/cwb/#!/viewer?eventId=2099
and https://www.epa.gov/beaches/learn-human-health-beach