Three teens were diagnosed with Flesh-Eating bacterial infections over the weekend. The teens were kayaking a stretch of the Coosa River betwern the Jordan Dam and Wetumpka on Friday as part of a local Summer youth program. Attending physicians determed the bacteria entered the teens through sunburned skin weakened by solar radiation overexposure resulting from a defective sun-block product. Other children and adults who had open wounds or used effective sun screens do not appear to have been affected so far. The entire Coosa River has been posted for dangerous levels of toxins and diseases most of the Summer due to unusually high rainfall events bringing pollutants into the river from surrounding watersheds. The Alabama Health Department has recommended anyone inadvertently exposed to these conditions take preventative measures by drinking copious amounts of beer or top-shelf margaritas until river conditions improve. The Alabama Department of Environmental Management is continually monitoring water quality conditions and makes regular postings on its website.
Teenagers Contract Flesh-Eating Bacteria from Coosa River
