High bacteria count advisory issued for 4 Mile beach in Hilo

The state advises the public that levels of enterococci bacteria at 4 Mile beach in the Keaukaha area of Hilo have exceeded the acceptable water quality threshold.

A high bacteria count advisory has been issued for the beach.

Levels of 1,652 per 100 mL of the bacteria were detected during routine beach monitoring. The Hawai‘i Department of Health Clean Water Branch issued the advisory because potentially harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa or parasites could be present in the water.

The advisory has been posted at the beach and will remain in effect until water sample results no longer exceed the threshold level of 130 enterococci per 100 mL.

Swimming at beaches with pollution in the water can make you ill. Children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems are the most likely populations to develop illnesses or infections after coming into contact with polluted water.

Fortunately, while swimming-related illnesses can be unpleasant, they are usually not very serious and require little or no treatment or get better quickly upon treatment. They also 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 might occasionally be exposed to more serious diseases.

Not all illnesses from a day at the beach are from swimming, however.

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, people are constantly exposed to a variety of microorganisms that have the potential of causing illness.

For more information, click here and here.