Date: Mon, 12 Jul 1999 07:13:50 -0400
Reply-To: Bulley <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From: Bulley <gmbulley@BULLEY-HEWLETT.COM>
Subject: Re: Giardia (Was Re: Westy Water Tank Fill)
Brent-
Keeping in mind that this is a family show, could you save us a search and
tell us the symptoms/incubation time for Giardia, and things to do
(hand-washing?) to prevent it while camping?
Thanks-
G. Matthew Bulley
Bulley-Hewlett & Associates
www.bulley-hewlett.com
Cary, NC USA
888.468.4880 tollfree
-----Original Message-----
From: Brent Christensen [SMTP:bpchristensen@MINDSPRING.COM]
Sent: Monday, July 12, 1999 5:03 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Giardia (Was Re: Westy Water Tank Fill)
Just a side note about Giardi (which I happen to be suffering from at this
very moment):
It is very common in the US, though not in municipal water systems.
Chlorine does not kill it - the cysts can only be removed with filtration
or
boiling/heating
Unlike bacterial or viral infections, it only takes *one* giardia organism
to cause a full-blown infection
It is transmitted between humans and animals via fecal contamination (not
always water-borne - the largest food-borne outbreak was caused by
macaroni
salad)
Some cities in other countries (Leningrad, for example) have major Giardia
problems with their municipal water.
It takes 1-2 weeks to develop symptoms, which can then last for 1-4 weeks.
There are several treatments available, a couple of which are unavailable
in
this country because they are classified as mutagen/carcinogens. (nasty
stuff)
The surest diagnosis is through a saliva test which checks for the presence
of antibodies (as opposed to the "manual" method of checking stool samples
for the presence of live organisms or cysts)
It is usually treated empirically - if you describe the symptoms
accurately,
the doc will usually write a prescription on the spot rather than wait for
test results.
It sucks having giardiasis.
Probably more than anyone wanted to know, but I have had it twice, and it
is
no fun.
Brent Christensen
'89 Syncro Westy "Klaus"
----- Original Message -----
From: Joe L. <jliasse@TOAST.NET>
Sent: Sunday, July 11, 1999 11:32 PM
Subject: Re: Westy Water Tank Fill
---snip----
> I wouldnt worry too much about things that might be living in the
water.
> Nowadays most city water has enough chlorine in it to kill about
anything.
> If in doubt what we used to do in the Marine Corps was to put two or
> three drops of either bleach or iodine in the canteen and wait for half
an
> hour before drinking. Didnt taste all that hot but nobody ever got sick
and
> we were drinking from some pretty strange places. A canteen holds about a
> quart so multiply three drops by however many quarts you are carrying.
> Unless you are in a REALLY strange place this should do you. There are
> "water purification tablets" that can be picked up at the sporting goods
> department of the Wal-Mart but these are *usually* nothing more than
bleach
> or iodine in pill form. Some of these tablets claim to be tastless but
for
> as much as they would cost purifying a tank of water I would as soon get
> used to the taste of iodine.
> There IS some special tablet that contains something (name forgotten)
> that is supposed to kill a particularly nasty kind of bug (guardia??) but
> these are kind of expansive and never having had any problem in either
the
> Westy or the Marines I saw no reason to pay the extra cost but if you are
> headed someplace wierd you may want to check into it.
