From front A10 - The Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 21, 2001 Docs split on seriousness of parasite infections here» tested from it showed fecal colliform counts that were essentially off the scale. Likewise, Quibell says, he's had cases of families getting parasites from drinking from the “peeing tree” fountain near Ross. wood. He says it’s also pos- sible doctors in Terrace are more likely to test for blastacystis, and that’s skewing numbers. The phenomenon is not new. Health unit statistics show blastocystis cases in Terrace and area have far exceeded all other areas of the health unit for at least 10 years. The numbers were high- est here in 1996-1998. In those three years, the number of diagnosed cases were near 80 per year, | It hasn't been a public heaith priority in part be- cause doctors don't even apree it’s a serious health issue, Quibell said. “We don't know much about this bug because in the past they didn’t think it Doug Quibell was warth locking at,” he said. “Probably 25 per cent of the doctors here don’t _ believe blasto causes any symptoms,” he added, Unlike organisms such as salmonella, blastocystis isn’t deadly. “It’s nat going to kill anyone,” Quibell said. “But it's going to make them sick, potentially for several months.” Symptoms of blasto- Northwest blastocystis cases Area 1997 1996 1999 29000 errace/North 76 30 58 49 cystis are listed as chronic diarrhea, nausea or upset stomach, lack of appetite, and malaise. Quibell said the num- bers here could actually be much higher than the num- bers show, since many people aren’t tested or don’t necessarily go to the doctor for treatment of a minor ailment, “All those people who have that nagging illness - it’s probably this or else piardia,” he said, Symptoms can last for months and can come and go, like giardia, which is also called beaver fever. Many people carry the organism naturally but don’t develop symptoms. “Lots of people carry it their whole lives and never get sick,” he said, Public health officials increasingly believe dia- rrhea should be considered more than just a minor irti- tation, Quibell! said. “It’s a lot more serious than we used to think,” he said. “Some bugs that cause it have potential long-term ramifications. They can affect your kid- hey, your liver, your heart.” There’s even a theory such infections can even lead to foad allergies, he said, and there’s a suspec- ted link between one type of parasite and arthritis. “Just suffering through a bad case of diarrhea means you could be hur- ting yourself for the rest of your life,” he said. Dozens of bugs spread by poor hygiene ALTHOUGH blastocystis hominis is the number one parasite infecting Terrace residents, it’s just one of about 75 different parasites in this area that cause dia- Irhea, Giasdia is also com- mon, says deputy chief en- vironmental heath officer Doug Quibell, and many locals mistakenly think you can only get it by drinking untreated water from streams and lakes. In fact, he said, giardia is most frequently spread by touching someone or something contaminated and then eating without washing hands, ~ “We. call fever, but the beavers are getting a raw deal,” Qui- bell said. “We gave it to the beavers originally. Now we blame them for it.” Some parasites were or- iginally human but have been spread to the envir- onment, he says, while others have come from the environment or other spe- cies to flare up within people. Unsafe food preparation in a restaurant or a camp can quickly spread such parasites to large numbers of people, Remote camps, in par- : ticular, sometimes aren’t inspected for long periods. “Some of the food and {magine being 5 years old and blind mad taking the bus to visit your mom al work. Chelsea did It safely with her while cane, thanks to skills we faughe her. in Tataredwn _ Hefpian ever 14,000 peopte bene rt who ave blind, r cork sleupthy lp leed reanasiannt and desl tind, “We're inthe Independence Business Protecting your health. water they’re serving people in camps are highly suspect,” he said, “I’ve heard many times people who go to camp expect to get diarrhea when they’re in camp.” Giardia, blastocystis, and many other parasites are spread through what’s called the “fecal-oral route”: it beaver mw That means slight con- tact with human feces while using the bathroom couid ~ if the hands aren’t washed well — contami- nate food or other objects. Someone else eating the food or touching a conta- minted object could then get the parasite. For that reason, daycare centres can also become iB. é. Hi SciiooL. CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS (MARCH 1 - 3 in KITIMAT and TERRACE 16 Teams meet in Round Robin Play 64 of the Finest Young Curlers in B.C. Here’s your chance to welcome them to town and cheer them on! For only ONTO. aN aN aN NN CN NNN you can get your message included in this special page. - x Don’ t hesitate... Call or Fax Today! P havens for the organisms. “Daycares are huge po- tential sources of dissemi- nation,” Quibell says. He said children in dirty diapers who share toys in a daycare centre can easily spread a parasite. They then take it home where they can infect their parents and siblings, he said. (-\: Ties hysical” i-education ea ihe ‘y onal cen particfpata in dally are more fit. have better heath habits, art fess suseeptiblle to stress, and perform batter academically. Shaving o Heothier Future nga Be meen PP ALTIONT, G | Vo you have a personal Investment plan? 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