(If you respond, watch the crossposts...)

on Tue, 06 Sep 2005 22:18:01 -0400, poboxdc@ix.netcom.com stated:

Bacteria (the word is already plural, no need for an s) are
everywhere, and are not completely killed off by mother nature,
sunshine, or even our noxious chemicals.  And you want it that
way: there are beneficial bacteria in our bodies that we need
in order to survive.  (There are strains of E. coli in your
gut that are not doing you any harm, in fact; it's only some
strains that cause disease.)  There are beneficial bacteria in
the environment that help break things down, producing rich
soil for a healthy planet.

But yes, eventually the high levels of the pathogenic forms
of E. coli and other bacteria, without standing flood waters
to thrive in, will be 'tamed' down to a level that is not
problematic.

It is a risk, definitely.  Don't go drinking the stuff,
though, and limit skin contact (especially broken skin),
and most people should be ok.  Your skin is a pretty
good barrier to most pathogens.  Keep track of what
diseases are appearing in the area, and do what you can
to shield yourself from them, specifically.

Flood waters are like that, I assume.  If you have to work
in them, I'd guess the best thing to do is to limit your
exposure as much as possible.  It isn't possible to
sterilize the flood waters, nor do I think it would be
environmentally wise, if antibiotics or bleach were used on
such a massive scale.  Imagine what it must be like to work
in a tropical country with regular monsoons.  You'd have to
deal with this sort of thing all the time.

Life is rough.  Rescue work is even rougher.  Pathogens
can be very, very bad things indeed, which is why we wear
them gloves and things.  But don't assume that the presence
of any bacteria at all is automatically evil.

-Allison

Your skin will protect you, but watch out if you have a cut or open sore...