Seems to happen same time each year.
Observation: At my age of 47 years young...i have been seeing this seasonal flu of vomiting and diarrhea in my community each year, and all they say is we must boil our water. I myself, a man of action, would like to see why this goes on every spring, would like to use science to see if this can be put to rest. This is an effective flu it take a lot of life out of children and adults, Lets see how and if we can find this source and defeat it before it becomes out of hand.
LEO says: There could be a number of reasons for outbreaks of spring time illness, flu and flu-like symptoms. Something is obviously going on and it could be from a contagious illness or from an environmental source. The public water system in Scammon Bay is chlorinated to prevent exposure to any diseases, and samples are collected in accordance with state regulations, every month. It is important that residents feel confident about their water supply. A follow up with Mr. Simon was provided by a representative from the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation (YKHC) and comments from YKHC and ANTHC are provided below. M. Brubaker
YKHC Comment Elizabeth Buckingham writes: "We spoke with Morgan Simon. He indicated that that the main symptoms were gastrointestinal such as vomiting and diarrhea. Lots of kids had gotten sick, and it seems to be in clusters. Most people drink the tap water and he was concerned that it was from the water, or chlorine in the water. We explained to him that coliform samples are taken every month and are negative (meaning no significant amounts of coliform bacteria). He was concerned that monthly samples are just a snapshot and may have missed something in the water. Chlorine is added to the water to fight any contamination from viruses/bacteria. He mainly wants to know what is causing the illness and wants to invite scientists out there to investigate next time it happens."
ANTHC Comment Dr. James Berner writes: " We agree with Mr. Simon that sometimes these kind of events need to be investigated and it may have to be done at the time they occur. This could be just the common kind of virus that happens in Alaska, when people (in particular kids) are exposed to a new infection. If Scammon Bay wants to look into these events we suggest contacting your Community Health Aides and the regional health authority (YKHC) and being as specific as possible about how many people were affected, the time frame, symptoms and whether there are any common exposures. The next step (if warranted) could be some kind of an investigation.
Observations From Members 