Citizens in one state have several beaches to choose from as the summer begins to wind down, but they’ll need to be careful when picking which one to attend. Several beaches across the state of Massachusetts are currently closed until more testing can be conducted.
In total, more than 50 beaches around the state of Massachusetts were closed on Monday.
The majority of these beaches have experienced elevated bacteria levels, or they’ve been recognized for dangerous algae blooms. The heightened level of urgency and detection comes after a person was diagnosed with flesh-eating bacteria earlier this month.
The list contains beaches in several cities and towns across the state, ranging from Salem to Framingham. Health officials have deemed the other beaches around the state as safe, but urge swimmers and beachgoers to exercise caution.
“What’s striking about this, and the reason that it’s a public health alert, is this particular bacteria is not typically seen in this area and it’s important for people who are at high risk to understand that the risk might actually be a little elevated right now,” said Dr. Shira Doron, Tufts Medicine’s chief infection control officer told CBS News.
“It is rare,” she said of the Vibrio vulnificus cases that have affected residents in Massachusetts and other areas of the country. The bacteria in question is a “flesh-eating” one that can cause necrotizing fasciitis.
Where Do The Bacteria Sightings Originate?
“We do sometimes see these cases in the hospital, but most of the cases that we see are people who just returned from or traveled to the Gulf Coast area and were swimming there.”
To follow on that theory, many cases have come up in Louisiana, Florida and North Carolina. Infections are on the rise as ocean temperatures rise, and states with traditionally warmer weather are more susceptible to infection.
Despite this, beachgoers along the northern part of the East coast are urged to remain vigilant and stay aware of which beaches have unsafe levels of bacteria.
As scientists work to determine what can be done to make certain beaches safer or more fit to swim in, it’s clear that the bacteria problem is a state-wide issue in Massachusetts.
