Free Health Screenings

January 17, 2008-- Sacred Heart Health System will provide free blood screenings on Wednesday, Jan. 23, from 12:15 to 3:15 p.m. at The Christian Service Center at 317 Dolphin Ave. in Gulf Shores, Ala.

Screenings, which will be provided by Sacred Heart’s Mission in Motion team, will measure blood sugar, total cholesterol and blood count. These screenings are helpful in diagnosing conditions that put people at high risk for heart attack, stroke, diabetes, and other health problems.

Mission in Motion is a community service provided by Sacred Heart Health System, which is based in Pensacola. The mobile unit’s free services also are made possible by support from the law firm of Kerrigan, Estes, Rankin and McLeod, as well as the Gannett Foundation and other community donors.

For more information, please call (850) 416-7826.

Red tide affects Alabama oysters

Wednesday, October 24, 2007
By BEN RAINES, Staff Reporter

Oyster beds in Bon Secour Bay were closed Tuesday after tests by the Alabama Department of Public Health revealed the presence of the organism that causes red tide.

The organism builds up in oysters as they filter water, making them unsafe to eat, sometimes for weeks after the red tide is gone.

Fish kills reported along the Gulf beaches between the Florida line and Fort Morgan over the last few days were also attributed to the red tide bloom, according to state officials.

Click here to read the rest of the article from the Mobile Press-Register.

Red Tide Fish-Kill Reaches Orange Beach

October 21, 2007 - The fish-kill from the Red Tide has reached Orange Beach. The photo to the right was taken today at 12:02pm at the Cotton Bayou Beach Access. This photo is representative of the entire stretch of beach along the Cotton Bayou Access. We do not yet know how far the kill reaches east or west of Cotton Bayou Beach.

A 15 to 20 mph east-south-east wind is blowing along the coast. A north or northwest wind is needed to push the Red Tide Harmful Algal Blooms back out to the open Gulf.

Click on image for a larger view.

Red tide warning issued for Baldwin's Gulf beaches

Friday, October 19, 2007

By BILL FINCH

Environment Editor

Persistent south winds have apparently blown a red tide onto Baldwin County's Gulf beaches, prompting a warning by the Alabama Department of Public Health on Thursday.

Concentrations of the sometimes toxic organism were high enough to cause minor respiratory problems, if fragments of the tide became airborne and came in contact with beachgoers.

Orange Beach Coastal Resource Director Phillip West said Thursday that simply being on the beach caused respiratory irritation and stung the eyes.

"It's present, and it's definitely irritating," West said. "About all we can hope for is a shift in the wind."

Click here to read the full story from the Mobile Press-Register.

Orange Beach Community Website Editor's Note: The front passing through our area today should shift the winds to the north. This shift should blow the Harmful Algal Blooms (aka Red Tide) back out into the Gulf of Mexico.

Red Tide Alert for Orange Beach & Gulf Shores

Water samples collected on Oct. 16 on Alabama beaches indicate the presence of red tide cells, the Alabama Department of Public Health announces. As of Thursday, beaches east of Dauphin Island are affected, but the winds from the south may continue to push the red tide up onto the beaches to include Dauphin Island.

Red tide results from a massive build-up of certain species of microscopic sea organisms known as dinoflagellates. These organisms produce a toxin that affects the central nervous system of fish so they are paralyzed and cannot breathe. At high concentrations, the organisms may produce a discoloration of the water. Red tides are often referred to as “blooms.” The species (Karenia brevis) may produce toxins that also cause skin irritation and respiratory problems in humans.

Health Department officials advise:

• Avoid the area if you are susceptible to respiratory problems such as asthma or emphysema.
• Leave the water if you experience skin irritations while swimming or boating and rinse immediately with fresh water.
• If you experience nose, throat or eye irritation when exposed to the gulf mist, avoid the mist.

The Alabama Department of Public Health will continue to monitor gulf and bay waters for the presence of red tide cells. At this time the oyster reefs are unaffected.

Unfortunately, the presence of red tide cannot be predicted to be at a certain location at a certain time. The effects depend on many variables such as temperature, salinity, direction of the wind, and how concentrated the organisms are at a given location.

Red Tide Health Advisory for Escambia County

by the Escambia County Health Department,
advisory published October 15, 2007

Red Tide Present along Pensacola Beach

PENSACOLA – Escambia County Health Department is issuing a health advisory for red tide, which may give residents and visitors mild and short-lived respiratory symptoms such as eye, nose, and throat irritation similar to cold symptoms. Red tide does not affect everyone who comes into contact with it and usually symptoms end when a person leaves the area or goes indoors. Health officials recommend that people experiencing these symptoms stay away from beach areas -- once a person leaves the red tide area, the symptoms usually go away. If symptoms, do not subside, please contact your physician for assistance.

People with severe or chronic respiratory conditions such as asthma or chronic lung disease are cautioned to avoid red tide areas. If water samples indicate that the Red Tide organism is present in areas other than Pensacola Beach, the health department will issue additional advisories.

There are no long-term health effects from being exposed to Red Tide.

About Red Tide
Red Tide is a microorganism containing a concentrated toxin that is found in the Gulf of Mexico and occasionally washes onshore. Though not all people are susceptible to the effects of red tide, it can be absorbed by humans directly, as well as be absorbed in shellfish; therefore, it is important that you recognize the symptoms.

General Health Information

• Not all people are susceptible to the effects of red tide.

• Susceptible people who come into contact with salt water spray may experience varying degrees of eye, nose, and throat irritation similar to cold symptoms.

• Health officials recommend that people experiencing these symptoms stay away from beach areas – once a person leaves the red tide area, the symptoms usually go away.

• Effects from contact with salt spray – such as eye, nose and throat irritation – are temporary, with no long-term health effects. (See precautions below on eating seafood.)

• A rash can sometimes occur after contact with affected water, and usually goes away within 24 hours.

Swimming, Boating

• After swimming in an affected area, it is a good idea to rinse off with clean fresh water.

• Swallowed water is unlikely to cause health effects.

Residents of Beach Areas

• Residents living in beach areas are advised to close windows and run the air conditioner (making sure that the A/C filter is maintained according to manufacturer's specifications).

• If outdoors, residents may choose to wear paper filter masks, especially if onshore winds are blowing.

• For people with long-term exposure, such as beach workers or fishermen, a more properly fitted mask is recommended.

Locally-caught Fish and Shellfish
Precautions should be taken when preparing and cooking fish caught in local waters, and individuals should not eat locally-harvested molluscan shellfish such as oysters, clams, and coquinas when red tide may be present. Red tide may also cause fish kills.

Red tide can also affect humans if they consume contaminated molluscan shellfish. During a red tide, bivalve shellfish, including clams and oysters, concentrate the toxin. This concentrated toxin can cause neurotoxic shellfish poisoning (NSP) in humans who eat bivalve shellfish. Both mild gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms occur in NSP, which can include tingling and numbness of lips, tongue, and throat, muscular aches, dizziness, reversal of the sensations of hot and cold, diarrhea, and vomiting. Onset of this illness occurs within a few minutes to a few hours; duration is fairly short, from a few hours to several days. Recovery is complete with few after effects; no fatalities have been reported.

Cooking does not eliminate the toxin. Only clams and oysters collected in shellfish harvesting areas monitored and open for harvesting, as determined by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (DACS), should be eaten. Scallops may be consumed as long as only the muscle is eaten. Any healthy finfish harvested from red tide affected waters should be carefully filleted and cooked fresh, avoiding consumption of roe and internal organs. The meat of fresh, healthy fish should be safe to eat.

Disposal of Dead Fish
Many questions are asked about what to do with the fish that have died during red tide conditions. Contact with fish killed in a red tide event does not produce any red tide associated symptoms. However, these fish can present a nuisance, in that they have an unpleasant odor, and attract flies and vermin. These fish may be disposed of according to local solid waste practices. It is recommended that gloves or tools be used to collect any fish and to use double-lined plastic bags for disposal

Additional Information
Attached is a summary of common questions and answers about red tide. The public may obtain more information on ongoing red tide events from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute. The Institutes' website is http://research.myfwc.com/. Additionally, there is red tide information at the Mote Marine Laboratory website: http://www.mote.org/~mhenry/WREDTIDE.phtml.

To find out more about the National Institute of Environmental Health Science (NIEHS) Red Tide Health Effects Study visit the web site: http://www.mote.org/niehsredtidestudy.

The Florida Poison Control Information Center in Miami has a toll-free 24/7 Aquatic Toxins Hotline for reporting of illnesses from exposure to red tide, or for more information on red tide and associated health effects, at 1-888-232-8635.