Checking the long-term effects of the Red Tide and your health

SOUTHWEST FLAMAH – If you’ve been to any of our beaches during the Red Tide Warning, you’ve seen it and smelled it. After talking to the doctor, you may not even realize what you are walking on, her advice is to wear shoes on these beaches during the red tide.

“Every time an animal dies, there is a lot of bacterial growth, so yes, if the animal gets injured with a sharp object or dorsal fin, the bacteria that are there can get into its leg and cause a serious infection,” Dr. Marybeth Saunders, — said Assistant Medical Director for Infection Prevention Lee Hells.

All this along with the cough you get from red flush toxins, eye irritation, shortness of breath, but what about the long-term effects? Dr. Saunders says research is still ongoing.

“In this study, they did not provide any specific direction regarding cancer or how it might affect people neurologically. They are still studying what the long-term effects of the red tide might be on humans and I think you know again Covid has thwarted those studies that have begun to look at the effects of the red tide. There have been studies that have been done here in Florida in the Sarasota area,” says Dr. Saunders.

However, despite red tide warnings, the beaches are still busy.

“People who throw caution to the wind and go ahead and go into water that smells bad or looks good and get some of that water, they may experience symptoms of nausea, diarrhea, stomach cramps,” says Dr. Saunders.

Also, if you’re planning on taking your pets to the beach, Dr. Saunders says the red tide can affect them in the same way.

“People can get hit by red tide just like our pets and our pets run around maybe drink some water trying to eat what is on the beach so they are at risk of the same problems that can develop diarrhea and get symptoms that could be respiratory symptoms of the common cold,” says Dr. Saunders.

If you are on our beaches, like many people, and your cough does not go away within a few days, medical experts advise you to see a doctor.

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