Beware the Floodwater
By Neil Daniels Thursday I did something extraordinarily foolish. I walked through the Iowa River floodwaters to get back home.
I know the risks but before I realized it I knew I had gone too far to
turn back. The next day I went sandbagging and cut my thumb. I will be
seeking a tetanus booster ASAP.
I offer this note of caution to people working in the floodwater:
The Iowa River is Iowa's most polluted river systems with pesticide and
agricultural runoff. America also has a terrible habit of dumping
antibiotics in our waterways creating a microscopic ecological arms
race between bacteria and antibiotics with humans too often caught in
the evolutionary crossfire.
Odds are in the bacteria¢s
favor.
The Johnson County Health Department has recommended people exposed to
floodwaters get a tetanus shot every ten years or been living a
physically active lifestyle for five years since your last booster
shot. The bacterium Clostridium tetani is an anaerobic (without air
growing) bacterium similar to botulism. C. tetani releases a neurotoxin
causing the all too often fatal condition known as lockjaw. If you have
an infection or been exposed to floodwaters- it¢s wise to seek medical
advice and get a tetanus booster shot just to be safe rather than sorry
later.
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