Disease from Ocean swimming Possible?

[Vincent]

This may sound dumb. But is it possible to get HIV or any other true disease & viruses from swimming in a Ocean. Ive read online that its not likely in a pool, due to the chlorine, but Im not sure about a ocean. The ocean just seems like a huge cess Pool.

[Episteme]

I'm not a physician, but i'm almost certain that HIV cannot be contracted via swimming in the ocean. Actually, the probability of HIV transmission from female to male via a single, unprotected heterosexual encounter (where the female is infected) has been estimated to be somewhere between 1:100 and 1:1000. Different types of sexual contact have different risk levels of transmission, and many other considerations will determine infection rates. HIV virus cannot survive outside of human blood / body, so the ocean will not be a transmission method.
I'm not sure if other diseases can be gotten from ocean swimming; virus's tend to be rather fragile outside of the host, whereas bacteria might be more able to survive outside the host. I would imagine that if raw sewage were to be in high concentrations in the area you are swimming in, perhaps bacteria infections may be contracted if you swallow enough of the contaminated waters.
I'm far from an expert in these matters, this is just what I know/conjecture.
-Mike

[Agent Starling]

This may sound dumb. But is it possible to get HIV or any other true disease & viruses from swimming in a Ocean. Ive read online that its not likely in a pool, due to the chlorine, but Im not sure about a ocean. The ocean just seems like a huge cess Pool.
Vincent,
I know that there are bacterial infections that you can get in a swimming pool, known as Swimming Pool Granuloma and Swimmer's Ear. The bacteria that cause these are what are known as water-loving organisms, since they're only found in water.

If a person does not have a fully functioning immune system (is "immunocompromised"), in other words has AIDS, is receiving cancer chemotherapy, or one of many other scenarios, there are in addition many other "opportunistic" infections (many of them fungal) that they are susceptible to, that a person with a normal functioning immune system is not susceptible to (and this is whether or not they are in water).
Chlorine is not a guarantee of having a completely sanitized pool, unfortunately, unless it is in the right amount. If it is in the right amount, I don't know whether that is a guarantee that a person won't catch anything (Hot tubs being much worse than swimming pools as far as catching infections).
Oh, and then if you are in a swimming pool where there are lots of babies in diapers in the water, then you've also got lots of nice E. coli bacteria in the pool (bacteria that is a normal inhabitant of the colon; most common cause of urinary tract infections, among other things. :o )

Back to the subject at hand...as far as whether you can get HIV from the ocean or a swimming pool, I have no idea. But I definitely know of someone with a medical condition where they can't be catching any infections (because due to their medical condition an infection may potentially be life-threatening) whose Dr. told them that oceans and big bodies of water are ok; swimming pools and hot tubs are out. But don't quote me on that, because for other than this specific individual, I don't know whether larger bodies of water would ALWAYS be safe. Somehow I doubt that this would be the case.

I don't think your question is dumb at all; in this day and age we all need to be aware of how we can keep ourselves and loved ones healthy and safe. :)

You might want to check www.cdc.gov (Centers for Disease Control) to get further info.

Long post I know but hopefully this has answered at least part of your question. :D

Agent Starling:D

[Chucula]

Perhaps I am naive, but I am under the impression that someone would have told us if HIV or other diseases could be contracted in the sea.

[spyderknut]

I am quite certain the only way to contract HIV in the ocean is by having intimate sexual contact with an infected person in the water. Even then, I bet the efficiency of transmission is much lower than sex on good ole dry land.

Lots of other ways to die in the water to worry about -- this ain't one of 'em.

[Michael Cook]

:spyder: If anything I'd worry about EBF, Eaten by a Big Fish. Yer just not at the top O' the food chain when ya go in the ocean.:eek: :spyder:

[Jordan]

I wouldn't lose sleep over it. The salinity in seawater is too high for it to be hospitable to most viral organisms. As well as some of them can exist in highly acidic conditions, alkali solutions tend to scare them off. Also, keep in mind that the chemical composition of salt is NaCl... the Cl standing of course for chlorine. Actually, for a while I was hearing about people purchasing special pumping equipment for swimming pools so that they could fill them with saltwater instead of chlorinating freshwater. From what I could gather, it made the water just as safe as chlorine did to swim in without being so hard on people's skin, hair, and eyes. The only issue being that pumping saltwater through machinery often leads to corroded and broken machinery. Either way, you should be infinitely more concerned about jellyfish and sharks than HIV.

[Vincent]

Well hopefully after a full 8 hrs at the beach I didn't catch anything. I did happen to throw up 3 times, thogh. Fun stuff.


Almost lost my Para Today also, had my bags about 8 f from the top water level at low tide, Went to go get food, come back and I didn't realize it went to High tide that fast. Well good thing I cought it as I almost lost my para, $400 cell phone and clothes.

[rolyat1978]

I've heard that it's possible to contract certain strains of hypochondria from swimming in the ocean...

[i.v]

The HIV virus is very fragile and cannot survive in air or water. The only ways it is transmitted are through sex and contact with infected blood (not skin contact but blood to blood). The likelihood for contamination through a single sexual encounter is indeed quite low (I've read 1:100) but it's still a very high risk. If you have an open wound that comes in contact with fresh infected blood, even in a microscopic amount, the chance for infection is near 100%.

Ocean water is far from clean, it can have various bacteria, fungus, chemicals and minerals, all of which can make you sick if ingested. If you're not feeling well for more than a few days see a doctor for advice, aside from that, drink plenty of water and take a day off assured that you do not have HIV, at least not from swimming :)

[Dr. Snubnose]

:spyder: If anything I'd worry about EBF, Eaten by a Big Fish. Yer just not at the top O' the food chain when ya go in the ocean.:eek: :spyder:

I don't go into the ocean as I always worry about EBF, but I do go there every so often just to dip my Salt H1 Spydie into the sea a few times....giggle.... and then run away before the BF can get me.....Doc;)

[rolyat1978]

The HIV virus is very fragile and cannot survive in air...

I think this is untrue as I've read about tests done involving atomized blood partices(containing HIV) infecting tissue samples some distance away ( I think it was up to 10 feet in the test). I apologize for the lack of reference but I'll try and find it for this thread. In your experience/knowledge/opinion, what in air kills HIV? I wouldn't think oxygen b/c it exists in your blood.

[zenheretic]

The internet can be your friend. HIV can't remain viable outside of the body for long. Unless one was swimming in an ocean of infected blood it isn't likely to contract HIV from the ocean, I would bet you would win the lottery 10 tens first.

http://www.cdc.gov/hiv/topics/basic/index.htm#transmission

[Vincent]

I've heard that it's possible to contract certain strains of hypochondria from swimming in the ocean...

probroly, always been worried since my friend was stabbed with a needle on the train 6 years ago. Guess what he got from that.

[java]

This may sound dumb. But is it possible to get HIV or any other true disease & viruses from swimming in a Ocean. Ive read online that its not likely in a pool, due to the chlorine, but Im not sure about a ocean. The ocean just seems like a huge cess Pool.

I dunno but surely you heard about the beached whale they found in San Diego Bay the other day...... Volunteers were unable to return it to the deep water and it expired. Marine pathologists examing the body were amazed to find the AIDS virus in the dead cetacean and are worried about the mode of transmission. Evidence so far leads them to believe the whale was rear-ended by a ferry in the harbor................:D







But seriously, as a long time diver I have seen changes in the ocean environment and as i.v. stated the AIDS/HIV virus is extremely fragile and cannot exist except within a very limited environment. You should be more worried about the crap we are pouring into the ocean, the overfishing, and overharvesting of ocean resources than catching marine AIDS. You will also find more parasites and disease causing organisms living in freshwater fish and their non-marine environment. There are outbreaks of shellfish poisoning due to algae blooms and our own pollution and there is the standard ciguaratera poisoning you can get from eating certain fish but most disease causing bacteria cannot survive the salinity and the high osmotic pressures it exerts on their cellular structure.


j

[i.v]

I think this is untrue as I've read about tests done involving atomized blood partices(containing HIV) infecting tissue samples some distance away ( I think it was up to 10 feet in the test). I apologize for the lack of reference but I'll try and find it for this thread. In your experience/knowledge/opinion, what in air kills HIV? I wouldn't think oxygen b/c it exists in your blood.

Zen has already put the information link so I won't repeat that. I'll add that I don't know exactly what kills the HIV virus in air although if you're interested I can look it up for you.
It can very well be oxygen though, which is highly corrosive and toxic actually. Oxygen in you're blood cannot be found in the from of loose molecules as it is in the atmosphere but rather dissolved and attached to the Fr molecules in your red blood cells, the HIV virus houses itself and reproduces inside the white T-cells (part of the immune system) and has no contact with the red cells.
It has been known for years that many types of bacteria, germs, fungus and viruses can only survive in an anaerobic environment (oxygen free), Tetanus is one well known example of this, HIV can be no different.

[druid]

heb a and staf are possibal