Bacteria threshold exceedance advisory issued at Honoli‘i Cove in East Hawai‘i

State health officials advise the public that a bacteria threshold exceedance advisory for Honoli‘i Cove in East Hawai‘i.

Enterococci bacteria level in waters of the area tested at 429 per 100 mL during routine monitoring, indicating potentially harmful microorganisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa or parasites could be present in the water.

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

Swimming at beaches with polluted waters can make people ill, especially children, the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

Fortunately, while swimming-related illnesses can be unpleasant, they usually are not very serious — they require little or no treatment or get better quickly upon treatment plus 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.
• Fever.

Other minor illnesses associated with swimming include ear, eye, nose and throat infections. In highly polluted water, swimmers can occasionally be exposed to more serious diseases.

Health officials also advise not all illnesses from a day at the beach are from swimming.

Food poisoning from improperly refrigerated picnic lunches can have some of the same symptoms as swimming-related illnesses, including stomachache, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. People are constantly exposed at any given time and place to a variety of microorganisms with the potential to cause illness.

Hawai‘i Department of Health Clean Water Branch provides beach monitoring and notification through its beach program.

Visit the Clean Water Branch website and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency website for additional information.