New website launched to monitor illnesses caused by South Bay pollution
SAN DIEGO (FOX 5/KUSI) — San Diego’s cross-border sewage crisis has been an ongoing issue for decades.
As local legislators work to get federal funding and to find a permanent solution to the issue, San Diego County Public Health Services has launched a new website to monitor gastrointestinal illnesses caused from the raw sewage flowing into South Bay waters.
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Millions of gallons of raw sewage flows across the border from Mexico into the U.S. everyday, according to the International Boundary and Water Commission, contaminating the Tijuana River Valley and the nearby Pacific Ocean.
The crisis has been ongoing for years, and just this past fall, a local South Bay urgent care practice alerted health officials to a possible increase in stomach and intestine (gastrointestinal) illnesses.
Recent studies show contaminated sewage runoff can make people sick when bacteria is released into the air and consumed by hundreds of thousands who live near and along the valley.
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In an effort to provide San Diegans with the latest findings, San Diego County Public Health Services launched a new website that features updates, explanation of illnesses, surveillance data and resources.
Following the public health investigation, the website reports they found there have been no significant increases in GI illnesses and no increases in related emergency room visits in the South Bay Region.
The County says it began monitoring reports of GI illness in August 2023, and is now issuing a weekly Surveillance Bulletin that will be updated on Thursdays.
The Public Health Services department, in the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, is also reviewing data collected by county medical professionals, with those results expected to come out in the next 30 days.
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Because of the sewage crisis, the cities of Imperial Beach and San Diego have ongoing States of Local Emergency, while the County of San Diego has declared a Public Health Crisis.
The pollution so far has caused more than 800 days of continuous beach closures in Imperial Beach.
San Diego County health officials say they have also updated Imperial Beach officials, the California Coastal Commission, San Diego County Air Pollution Control District, California Department of Public Health and Environmental Protection Agency on the ongoing surveillance work.
“As the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have advised, when people come into direct contact with sewage contaminated water, it can lead to a number of illnesses, including those that result in emergency room visits and at times hospitalizations,” said Dr. Ankita Kadakia, the County’s deputy public health officer. “South County residents deserve access to clean beaches and waterways. While we continue to closely monitor reports of illnesses and await steps to lessen and clean sewage flows, it remains very important for people to avoid going into water that is contaminated.”
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Germs and chemicals can be found in swimming pools, water parks, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, flood waters, or oceans. Health officials say GI illnesses can only be contracted if you swallow or ingest water infected with germs.
Exposure to contaminated water can also cause skin rashes, ear pain, cough or congestion, and eye pain.
People most at risk from GI illness are infants, young children, people unable to care for themselves and those with a compromised immune system.
The South Region Gastrointestinal Illness Concerns website lists several steps you can take to minimize your chance of getting sick:
Check the Water Quality alerts online before you visit the beach
Keep an eye out for signs for a water warning, advisory or closure
Check the water to make sure it isn’t cloudy, discolored or smells bad
Don’t swim with an open cut
Don’t swallow the water
Stay out of floodwaters
View the full list of tips to stay healthy around contaminated water on the county’s new website. Visit the San Diego Beach & Bay Water Quality website to monitor the latest advisories, warnings and closures.
The County of San Diego noted it continues to advocate to the federal government for additional funding and a solution to the regular release of untreated sewage that flow across the border into the Tijuana River Valley and ultimately into the waters off South County beaches.
Just recently on March 28, San Diego County business organizations and regional stakeholders sent a letter to President Biden urging him to take action on the severe pollution crisis impacting the Tijuana River Valley.
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