Oh sea, sea, who polluted you with dinoflagellate?

I went out to the sea beach - breathed in the fresh breeze... - lost my memory. Or respiratory paralysis may suffice or uncontrollable salivation may begin. The danger of catching such exotic diseases may lie in wait for vacationers on some tropical beaches. Their source is toxic microalgae that produce terrible, sometimes fatal toxins for humans. Dinoflagellates, diatoms... These single-celled organisms make up up to a quarter of all organic matter on the planet, but few people know about them, since they are truly invisible. Just a few years ago, only narrow specialists and coastal residents of the Southern Hemisphere knew about these representatives of the coastal zone. Now this scourge has spread much wider and even moved to our Black Sea and the Baltic. About this, as well as about what else our native resorts can surprise or sadden us in, in the material of the MK correspondent, who talked with a great connoisseur of seaweed, Doctor of Biological Sciences, leading researcher at Moscow State University. Lomonosov, a member of the ancient Moscow Society of Natural Scientists Alexander KAMNEV.

The sea is the sea. Even in the best of times, when there was no such tourist boom, it required a respectful and careful attitude: do not swim on wild beaches, do not swim behind buoys, do not overheat in the sun. Now, when up to several million vacationers are expected in Anapa during the summer season (with the norm being 150–200 thousand, the waste of which, in principle, can be handled by the existing infrastructure), draw your own conclusions...

Toxic Aleksandrium has settled in the Black Sea

Experts advise treating an overpopulated sea coast in much the same way as we treat a polluted city: to compensate as much as possible for its possible negative impact. In the metropolis, doctors recommend using a shower, walks in parks, going out of town and a balanced diet, and on the coast you should try to walk more, be attentive to what you put in your mouth, even more carefully than before, control the time you spend near the water, be sure to use sunscreen and hats. Using a shower after swimming in sea water is also advisable - in the shower you wash off not only the salt, but also pollutants, which, alas, are now almost everywhere. But maybe there is still an opportunity to choose a cleaner place in advance?

“Recently, a lot of untreated wastewater has been entering the Black Sea,” answers Kamnev. - Therefore, the best advice is to choose places away from towns and cities. It is better to relax on organized beaches, avoid wild, untested ones.

- And if you compare the conditions in Crimea and the North Caucasus?

Still, the climatic conditions in Crimea differ from the North Caucasus: the humidity is different, the water in Crimea is different, more flowing due to the ruggedness of the coastal zone. The Black Sea has several currents: surface and internal. One comes from Turkey, and the other, on the contrary, to Turkey. These currents actively wash our Russian shores.

- Sometimes the water near the shore is brown. How to determine why?

Many banks have a clayey base. And therefore, after a storm or rain, part of this clay, as well as coastal runoff, ends up in the sea, and the water becomes brown. Sometimes, due to flowering in the coastal zone, the water acquires a greenish tint.

But there is a more serious reason that can affect the color of the water. Sometimes it changes color a little when microalgae (diatoms) begin to multiply in it. Some of them release toxins into the air, causing serious illnesses in vacationers - from stomach disorders to amnesia. These mainly live in the Atlantic, Indian, Pacific oceans, in the seas of Southeast Asia, in the Mediterranean Sea, but recently they have moved to our shores.

- Can you tell us more about them?

The ancient Indians who lived on the sea coast knew about the presence of a toxic “substance” in water that kills fish and brings health problems to humans. The group of toxic algal exometabolites includes substances with very different chemical structures and mechanisms of action. For example, amnesic toxins, based on domoic acid and its derivatives, are produced by diatoms of the genus Nitzschia. I breathed in such a breeze and got amnesia - a memory disorder.

Some dinoflagellates, such as Gymnodinium breve, are particularly dangerous when in bloom. Brevetoxin, which is a powerful neurotoxin, is released into the atmosphere. In this case, damage occurs when inhaling air in the coastal zone. Brevetoxin in excessive quantities causes drooling, severe runny nose, spontaneous bowel movements and muscle paralysis. Death as a result of receiving a large dose of a toxic substance occurs as a result of respiratory arrest...

- What a horror! I wonder if travel companies warn tourists about this?

Unfortunately, no one here is seriously addressing this issue. There are cases of poisoning, but do people attribute them to algae? Most often they are blamed on some exotic viruses or insects. Many, on the contrary, strive to the southern coast of the United States, to Florida. In our country this is considered prestigious, despite the fact that the ocean there is sometimes teeming with dinoflagellates. So-called red tides, when people don't swim or fish, are common there.

- Do microalgae make them red?

Yes. But depending on the species, the tides can be either brown or yellowish. They are typical for South America, Japan, New Zealand, and Australia. Fishermen suffer greatly from such tides. Back in the early 90s, one-time losses to individual fishing companies amounted to up to $500 million due to invisible plankton. It has been observed, for example, that threads of the diatoms Chaetoceros convolutes and C. coucavicornis clog the gills of fish, leading to mass kills in fish farms. Some dinoflagellates, such as Prymnesium parvum, P. patelliferum, Gymnodinium mikimotoi, etc., secrete hemolysins. In fish, they damage the gill epithelium, causing hemolysis (destruction of red blood cells - N.V.). But the saddest thing is that recently we have begun to notice some dinoflagellates off our shores in the Black Sea and the Baltic. The genus Alexandrium, which secretes paralytic toxins, the main chemical component of which is saxitoxin, a sodium channel blocker, has moved here, apparently from the Mediterranean Sea. It causes respiratory paralysis (muscle weakness) and in acute cases is fatal.

- What prompted them to move to us?

Most likely, they are carried along by currents, but a favorable environment is created due to changes in the temperature regime of our seas, they become warmer. In addition, the level of organic compounds in them increases every year due to sewage discharged directly into the sea. We also cannot exclude the possible appearance of new bacteria in our seas. It’s sad that these microalgae travel through trophic (food) chains into shellfish, and people can become seriously poisoned after tasting seafood in a seaside restaurant. Of course, toxins are not always released by microalgae, but only during certain periods. But it is imperative to study them and classify them. In most countries of the world, especially in those where mariculture is developed, a legislative framework on aquatic toxins has existed for quite a long time. Maximum concentration limits have been determined, and the content of these substances is constantly monitored. Alas, there is nothing like this in Russia yet. But some types of plankton threaten humans with more than just one-time poisoning. For example, algae of the genus Dinophysis and Prorocentrum, even in small quantities (about tens of thousands of cells per liter), are a tumor promoter, producing okadaic acid. Sometimes it can cause mild digestive upset in a person. A day or two, and it passes, but for a long time many do not even suspect about a more serious “gift”. Hepatotoxins from a number of freshwater blue-green algae are also dangerous. In addition to damaging liver tissue, these toxins can cause serious dermatitis.

After all that has been said, the sea somehow no longer attracts. What should those who have already taken trips to the resort do, but are very afraid of catching some kind of toxin there?

There is no need to be afraid. We must live and enjoy life. I myself am going to the same Anapa any day now, where I will swim and scuba dive. In order to protect yourself as much as possible from possible encounters with toxic microalgae, you need to know that most often their number near the coast increases after outbreaks of extreme heat. If possible, it is better to wait a few days after the temperature peaks and only then go into the water. You should also try not to swallow sea water while swimming, and not wash fruits and vegetables in it, so that toxins do not enter the gastrointestinal tract. The second point is compliance with hygiene rules. Many people habitually wash off sea salt in the shower after bathing. This procedure is also necessary to wash away toxins. In addition to taking a shower, I would recommend gargling with drinking water and washing your hands with soap after swimming in the sea. Well, I would like to remind everyone once again that the coastal zone of our seas is not intended to cope with natural needs; there are toilets for this. The cleanliness of our seas largely depends on improving our culture, maintaining prudence and initiatives of city administrations to improve urban wastewater treatment systems. By the way, so far in our coastal zone the situation with diatoms is much better than off the coast of the USA or Japan. Luckily, we don't have red or yellow tides yet. And this is despite the fact that our seas have less antiseptic properties due to their low salinity. If you do not take measures to cleanse them, this advantage can be lost.

It is undesirable to soar from under the water into the sky.

Well, thank you, at least you calmed me down a little. Now let me ask you a question as an experienced diver teaching children to scuba dive. At what age can you start scuba diving?

Interesting question. First, I will note that, having decided to go underwater diving, every person should visit an ENT doctor and get confirmation that diving is not contraindicated for him, that is, there are no problems with the ears, in the presence of which it is impossible to dive to depth.

Let's assume that permission has been received from the doctor, then we will determine the age. There are regulatory frameworks that are written for different levels of training, and they have their own age categories. If we go down to our everyday level, it is optimal to start working in the sea with scuba gear from the age of 10. Many American schools adhere to this. But my personal belief is that you can start earlier, from 6–8 years old. Only the depth should be reasonable. For example, at 1.5 meters a child will definitely not get injured. But at the same time, high-class specialists must work with it. Another important tip: if you, while relaxing at sea, decide to sign up for a dive with your child, then keep in mind that this should be done at least a day or two before the plane flight - the body will have to recover after scuba diving.

While we are just learning the culture of handling the sea, for example, the Japanese, due to lack of territory, are already beginning to build sea cities and are gradually going under water. How will they solve the issue of waste disposal? How will they protect their underwater homes from waste from neighboring countries? It is already clear that the future will require all of humanity to reconsider its attitude towards the cradle of life, to radically change its philosophy, to realize that we are all really “cooking” on Earth in a single cauldron called the World Ocean.

In Mariupol (Ukrainian town), an epidemiological situation regarding an outbreak of acute intestinal diseases has been recorded. This information appeared on the official website of Rospotrebnadzor the day before. All checks were carried out by the Donetsk Regional Laboratory Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine.

The message on the Rospotrebnadzor website indicates that at the moment eighty cases of acute intestinal infection have been officially recorded in Mariupol. All these cases were recorded between the sixth and twelfth of July. If we compare these disease indicators with 2017, they increased by more than forty-one percent. Rospotrebnadzor emphasized that sixty of the victims were children. About thirty percent of the victims noted that the disease came after swimming in the Azov Sea.

According to the results of a laboratory study, out of eighteen vacationers on the beach, eleven swam on the beach near the Tourist Hotel, one swam near the Azov Shipyard, the rest rested on the Left Bank beach.

E. coli found on four out of five beaches

It is worth noting that at the beginning of this month, water was taken from the beaches to study microbiological indicators. The research results showed that there are unauthorized sewer drains within the city. Dismantling of these drains is not carried out due to the lack of appropriate equipment and technical support. On the Fourth of July, laboratory staff discovered multiple levels of lactose-positive E. coli in the water of the Azov Sea. Water was collected from five beaches, four of which were found to have an intestinal infection. The official website of Mariupol states that for several weeks in a row, sewerage has been discharged into the Sea of ​​Azov within the city limits, as pipes in the city have burst.

The government of the Russian Federation asks citizens of the country to take this information into account before planning their vacation, so as not to harm their health and not spoil their vacation. Have a safe and enjoyable holiday!

The Black Sea is poisoned by a poisonous bacterium. The environmental situation is so catastrophic that hundreds of local residents and tourists turn to doctors every day with complaints of intestinal infection.

On the one hand, everything can be explained by natural causes - dangerous algae began to multiply due to the fact that the water temperature reached an anomalous 29 degrees, and, given the location of the sea, the circulation of water in it is extremely slow, in fact it is a closed reservoir. But experts also name other factors: for example, the excessive activity of officials who, without the necessary base, began to squeeze the maximum out of domestic resorts.

She has few pleasant impressions from her summer holidays: they all fit into a few photographs. 14-year-old Sonya was vacationing on the Black Sea, but this year it was not too kind to her. After just a couple of swims, she came down with an acute infection. According to the girl, the water was warm and dirty, jellyfish and even bottles were floating in it.

Similar situations happen everywhere. Hospitals in resort towns are packed to capacity: there is only one diagnosis - acute intestinal infection. Many of those who decided to spend their long-awaited vacation on the beaches of Adler, Anapa or Gelendzhik literally find themselves in hospital beds on the second day.

“The situation is simply catastrophic: after swimming in the sea, instead of relaxing, we got an intestinal infection and a trip to an infectious diseases hospital, which turned out to be overcrowded with vacationers. Everyone has the same story: we swam in the Adler Black Sea, where sewage is dumped and is infested with E. coli,”- the petition says.

The situation in resort towns really raises concerns, even health officials do not hide: hospital beds are filled exclusively with vacationers.

On the Sochi beach, as always, there is nowhere to lay a towel. The velvet season is in full swing, and the flow of tourists does not stop. Even these frightening numbers don’t stop holidaymakers: the water temperature is 27 degrees, and two weeks ago it almost reached 30. For the Black Sea, this is an exorbitant indicator. However, doctors report: you can swim in such water. And vacationers are happy to follow these recommendations. It’s just that after swimming like this, tourists often have to exchange beach beds for beds in infectious diseases departments.

Another problem typical of coastal towns is the irresponsibility of local residents and businessmen. Numerous hotels, restaurants, shops and residential buildings are simply not connected to the central sewer system. The authorities, of course, are fighting this, but not everyone follows their instructions. In many resort areas, tourists literally swim in their own excrement.

“Very often with my own eyes I see those sewage drains that either flow into the sea with rivers or with storm water. That is, this is due to the fact that there are a lot of mini-hotels, a lot of houses that are rented out, and many simply have their own sewerage system - they simply throw it away,”- says ecologist Vitaly Bezrukov.

And this is a problem that is faced not only in Russia. For example, for the Bulgarians the Black Sea has long turned into a landfill. The bodies of baby dolphins are regularly found on the beaches of the Gold Coast, and no one even tries to disguise the pipes through which waste flows into the sea. In addition, temperatures here are breaking records.

The sea water temperature on the Varna coast is 24 degrees, and this does not have a very good effect on the marine ecosystem. Bacteria multiply very easily in water. In addition, large companies very often break the law by dumping waste into seas around the world, in particular into the Black Sea, near industrial cities.

Now reports of an epidemic of intestinal infection in the Black Sea resorts are coming from almost all countries that have access to it. And if the situation cannot be corrected in the near future, there is a risk of facing an environmental disaster on a regional scale.

Resorts on the Black Sea coast have become incredibly popular over the past few years. Most Russian citizens prefer to spend their holidays on the Black Sea. A pleasant climate, picturesque nature, a warm, gentle sea, beaches with a wide coastline and reasonable prices for holidays are what attract modern tourists.

Recently it became known that E. coli was discovered in the Black Sea. This news literally turned the whole idea of ​​a pleasant holiday upside down and became the cause of mass anxiety, almost panic. Many of those who had already purchased vouchers and tickets began to refuse them, not wanting to spend their entire vacation in a hospital bed. So what do real reviews say on this issue? Was it really discovered in the Black Sea or was it all the machinations of attackers? Let's take a closer look at this issue.

Tourist dissatisfaction

Tourists spending their holidays at resorts on the Black Sea coast are concerned about the sanitary condition of the region. The petition about E. coli in the Black Sea is the fruit of their collective work. So, they complain that after taking water procedures, that is, banal swimming in sea water, they have to become another patient in overcrowded medical institutions. And it’s all because of E. coli in the Black Sea. Vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, loss of strength and a fairly high body temperature - all these symptoms are present to varying degrees in patients at the local hospital.

Hospitals are really overcrowded, patients are lying in the corridor, and all this is in Olympic Sochi, which was literally resurrected from the ashes, in which all the necessary conditions for a family holiday were created. Children are at risk; they are primarily affected by E. coli in the Black Sea. Numerous reviews from tourists and vacationers indicate dirt on the beaches, widespread unsanitary conditions, and the presence of waste and sewage water in the sea. If you look at the reviews of tourists, you will probably find information in each of them about disgusting health, vomiting, and terrible pain after the first contact with water. There is no doubt that E. coli was discovered on the Black Sea coast. Another thing is what are the reasons for such a widespread infection, its massive and active spread, and whether measures will be taken to stabilize the situation.

Of course, not everyone can afford expensive foreign resorts. On the other hand, why go somewhere if our country, due to its advantageous geographical location, has its own access to the warm sea. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tourists from different parts of the country vacation at the resorts of the Krasnodar Territory; military personnel who, due to their profession, do not have the right to leave the Russian Federation, spend their vacation here. We are all interested in ensuring that our resorts create the necessary conditions for a complete, most comfortable and, most importantly, safe holiday.

Possible reasons

The authorities speak rather restrainedly on this issue, trying to maintain calm in the region. Meanwhile, local hospitals continue to receive complaints from tourists and local residents.

Why is there E. coli in the Black Sea? What caused the mass poisoning of vacationers? Are there methods to stop the spread of infection in the region? Rospotrebnadzor presented a report on the above survey of water on the Black Sea coast of Sochi and Adler. According to him, it was not found in the sea; therefore, the cause of such a massive epidemic could be anything, but not an infection. Of course, the authorities refer to overcrowding of the beaches, unsanitary conditions, and non-compliance with basic hygiene requirements by vacationers.

E. coli in the Black Sea may appear as a result of the active discharge of waste and sewage water and garbage into sea water. If you have ever vacationed at the Black Sea resorts of Russia during the season, you probably had the opportunity to appreciate all this “splendor”.

How does infection occur?

Uninterested parties, after their own independent examination, have revealed that E. coli is constantly present in the Black Sea. August is the peak season when infection is widespread. It is at this time of year that local hospitals become overwhelmed with patients.

So, it was possible to reveal that most often infection occurs after direct contact with sea water, namely ingestion of it while swimming. At risk are children aged two years and older, who, due to their age, find it difficult to observe basic protective and hygiene measures. That is why children are frequent patients in the infectious diseases department of local hospitals. As you know, treating an infection in a child has a number of difficulties, can take a long time and lead to serious consequences.

So, annual problems with the sea, or rather the state of sea water, begin at the beginning of the season - June, when the temperature begins to gradually rise. It is under such conditions that the infection begins to appear and subsequently actively spread. The picture is complicated by breakwaters that contribute to water stagnation, as well as the lack of a sewerage system in Sochi, as a result of which all wastewater is sent straight to the sea.

Why Russian resorts

Of course, all tourists and vacationers are interested in the geography of the spread of infection. We all know from our school geography course that the Black Sea belongs not only to the Russian Federation; at least Turkey and Bulgaria offer their guests to visit the Black Sea. E. coli (where it is not present, epidemics do not occur), however, is found only in our country. Why does information about the infection come specifically from Russian resorts? These are the questions that modern tourists ask.

According to experts on the subject, E. coli is a bacterium that can be found in any environment. That is why not a single resort with a massive concentration of vacationers during the season can completely protect itself from such a nuisance. Another thing is that E. coli in the Black Sea (2016 was the year when the current sanitary situation was declared catastrophic) is a consequence of water contamination with feces, processed products, and wastewater. And all these illegal emissions occur again within our state. Here is the answer to the question why E. coli was discovered in the Black Sea.

Moreover, local authorities are trying to squeeze the maximum out of resorts during the season. This is evidenced by the overcrowding of beaches, hotels, inns and holiday homes. Of course, high air temperature promotes the spread of infection, which leads to such a reaction.

A little about the infection

For some tourists, the information that E. coli was found in the Black Sea means nothing. They understand nothing about medicine, have no idea what an infection is, what area of ​​the human body it affects, how it is transmitted. That is why sometimes they cannot identify its presence in their body.

Non-pathogenic varieties of E. coli are part of the intestinal microflora and, accordingly, are present in the body of every person. Pathogenic strains cause infectious and inflammatory diseases, most often of the gastrointestinal tract. They produce enterotoxins that cause diarrhea.

About symptoms

Symptoms of infection include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, weakness, and fever. Among the main causes of infection, experts point out non-compliance with basic hygiene standards. At the same time, infection often occurs at resorts during mass gatherings of people.

Treatment

After E. coli was found in the Black Sea, local hospitals and clinics do not stop receiving complaints from vacationers. The infectious diseases departments are literally overcrowded, people are even lying in the corridor on the floor. E. coli has become a big problem in the Black Sea. You should not self-medicate. It is difficult to cope with an infection without the help of doctors; it is better to consult a specialist immediately after detecting the first signs of the disease. Most often, antibiotics, absorbent drugs based on activated carbon, for example, and probiotics are used for therapy.

Fighting the epidemic

Of course, without the intervention of local authorities it is unlikely that the problem will be solved and eradicated. The main problem of the resort is the lack of a unified sewer system. Sochi was put in order, landscaped, some of its areas were literally rebuilt, but the issue with the sewerage system remains open. And all this happens in the main resort and tourist center of the country, which is visited annually by hundreds of thousands of tourists. Of course, under such conditions, sewage and sewage water flow into the sea in unlimited quantities. If you remember your school geography course, you will probably note that the Black Sea, from a sanitation point of view, is not located in the most favorable way, but all because the water in it is renewed at a negligibly low rate - in most cases it stagnates. And under the influence of sweltering heat it becomes a real hotbed of infections, including intestinal ones.

Great attention should be paid to the tourists themselves, or rather, to accustom them to comply with basic standards and hygiene requirements. First of all, it is necessary to prohibit the sale of drinks and food on local beaches: in the course of numerous studies, it has been found that it is while eating on the beach with dirty hands that infection can occur. It is necessary to eat only in trusted establishments, avoiding all contact with locally produced products presented on the beach.

How to protect yourself from infection

How to go to the sea without catching an intestinal infection? This question is one of the most pressing today, because not everyone is ready to give up their summer vacation.

So, first of all, at resorts you should take care of hygiene, take a shower after each sea swim, cleansing your skin. A shower not only helps to wash off sea salt from the body, but also removes all contaminants that are definitely present in the water to one degree or another. It is here, at sea, that you should be more attentive and demanding about everything that you eat, what your children eat, be sure to wash your hands before every meal, use sunscreen and spend more time in the fresh air, trying to find a secluded place. Agree, tourists who vacation on the same Black Sea, but choose for their leisure time distant from the center, more secluded, sometimes wild places, almost never receive complaints. Tourists who go to the sea at the height of the season, when the beaches are simply crowded, complain.

What to do for those who have already bought tickets

If you have already purchased vouchers, but are concerned about information about the discovery of infection on the Black Sea coast, do not panic. E. coli in the Black Sea (whether it’s 2016 or another year, it doesn’t matter) is not uncommon. It should be understood that for resort towns in sweltering heat this is the norm. Another thing is how you will feel about it. Don't be afraid and don't give up on your planned trip. Look: even after numerous warnings, people still continue to come to Sochi and Adler.

You just need to remember a few simple rules:

• avoid swimming during extreme heat - it is under the influence of high air temperatures and prolonged heating of water in the sea near the shore that bacteria begin to accumulate in huge quantities. It’s better to wait a little and go into the sea when the air temperature returns to normal;
• try, if possible, not to swallow water while bathing, explain this to children who are at risk;
• Never use sea water to wash fruits and vegetables;
• observe hygiene standards;
• After each contact with sea water, be sure to wash your hands with soap;
• understand that coastal areas are not intended for urination; there are specially designated places for this - toilets.

Summing up

Of course, it is stupid to deny the presence of infection in the Black Sea when the region’s hospitals are simply overcrowded with infected tourists. However, if each of us takes control of our health and follows simple rules for staying at resorts, we will be able to reduce the likelihood of infection significantly. Of course, government agencies must intervene in the problem, carry out all the necessary measures to eliminate the source of infection, develop a sewerage project, monitor the condition of the beaches and food in the resort area. Only joint efforts aimed at eliminating the problem will lead to maximum results.

https://www.site/2016-08-30/krasnodarskiy_kray_na_grani_ekologicheskoy_katastrofy_iz_za_kishechnoy_infekcii

“I’m completely shocked: why is everyone silent?”

Black Sea resorts in Russia are overwhelmed by intestinal infections

There is an outbreak of intestinal infection in the Krasnodar region. Tourists complain that the sea is polluted by sewage and algae, and report overcrowded hospitals. Local authorities do not acknowledge the problem: official comments say that there are no mass cases of disease. Meanwhile, the collection of signatures has begun on the Internet for a petition in which Russians ask President Vladimir Putin to save the Russian resort from an environmental disaster.

“It turns out you can’t go to the sea”

“The situation is simply catastrophic! Having been in Adler with a small child for only two days and having swam in the sea, instead of resting, we got an intestinal infection and a trip to the infectious diseases hospital on Kirova 50, which turned out to be overcrowded with vacationers, sick children are even lying in the corridors, there are not enough places! Everyone has the same story: they swam in Adler’s Black Sea, where sewage is dumped and where E. coli is infested! People come from all over the country and spend their holidays in the infectious diseases department. Little children and their parents lie under IVs and do not get off the potties! And this is in post-Olympic Sochi, where they have done everything for the guests of the Olympics, but cannot create conditions for a safe holiday for their children!” says the petition, which was published on the website Change.org by Norilsk resident Larisa Yangol. With her petition, she is trying to attract the attention of President Vladimir Putin and the chief sanitary doctor of the Russian Federation, whom Yangol asks to “stop the intestinal infection in the Black Sea.” So far, only 778 people have supported the petition, but the number of signatories is growing.

Social networks and blogs are full of stories from tourists about the epidemic of intestinal infection in major Black Sea resorts: Anapa, Sochi, Gelendzhik and others.

In the public domain you can find hundreds of similar messages about how tourists, after swimming in the sea, suffered from diarrhea and vomiting, waited for hours for an ambulance and spent most of their vacation in the hospital. Mostly parents of preschool children complained about their ruined vacation.

The situation with the incidence of intestinal infections has been observed on the coast for the third year in a row

Perhaps the post of Angela Alekseenko from Petrozavodsk is most widely circulated on social networks. She is indignant that, for the sake of profit, the authorities, doctors and the media are suppressing information about the epidemic on the Black Sea coast. She was vacationing in Sochi with her two-year-old son. After going to the sea, his temperature rose, diarrhea and vomiting began. The baby and his mother were taken by ambulance to the emergency room of the infectious diseases hospital, where they had to wait three hours to see a doctor in the company of other vacationers with similar problems.

“A bunch of parents, all the children in their arms, they are constantly vomiting, they are exhausted and cannot stand on their feet. Poor doctors who don’t have time to do anything try to be kind and understanding. But tired as hell. And today is the fourth day in the hospital, periodically I cry, in complete shock, why everyone is silent,” writes Angela Alekseenko.

According to Alekseenko, 60 children are admitted to the hospital every day with one diagnosis - an intestinal infection.

“It turns out you can’t go to the sea, it’s dirty, children get poisoned, their small, fragile body breaks down! And everyone is silent! Hospitals are overcrowded, people are lying in the corridors, I myself see this nightmare. It’s dirty, stuffy, there’s no refrigerator or microwave in the entire hospital,” the woman is indignant. The ambulance doctors told her that this situation had been happening since the beginning of summer. “Why are you silent? “Then you won’t come to us,” they answer. This is fine? All summer it’s been such nonsense, poor kids are poisoned, someone is vomiting blood, and everyone is sneezing because it’s money!” Alekseenko is indignant. Her post was republished by the media and bloggers, but later for unknown reasons it was deleted from Facebook. the site tried to contact Angela Alekseenko through a social network, but at the time of preparing the material, she did not respond to a personal message.

“They called back from the ambulance and said that the doctors would not come.”

Tourists faced similar problems throughout the summer in other resort towns in the Krasnodar Territory. As Sverdlovsk resident Denis Stepanchenko, who was vacationing with his family in the village of Vityazevo near Anapa, told the website, the family spent 10 of the 14 days of their vacation in their room due to an intestinal infection that struck the children. Denis Stepanchenko with his wife and two sons (one is 7 years old, the other is 11 months old) arrived in Vityazevo on July 29.

On the second day of rest, after swimming in the sea, the youngest son began vomiting, diarrhea and the temperature rose to 38.5 degrees. Later, the same symptoms began in the eldest son. “At first we treated ourselves, but on the third day we asked the hotel to call an ambulance.” Later, the ambulance called us back and said that the doctors would not come to us, since the child’s temperature was relatively low, and they had a lot of calls even without us,” says the Ural resident. According to him, there is always a queue of about twenty people at pharmacies.

“Everyone has the same symptoms, everyone buys the same medications. The pharmacy understands the situation and inflates prices twice,” says the Ural resident.

According to Denis, during his vacation, the ambulance came to the hotel where he was vacationing with his family two or three times every day. “They took small children with their mothers to the hospital. Moreover, everyone began to get sick after visiting the sea,” he says. Denis notes that after his experience, he is unlikely to risk going to the Russian Black Sea coast again. According to him, local residents say that the situation with the widespread incidence of intestinal infection has been observed on the coast for the third year in a row and always at the end of the holiday season. This is also confirmed by user posts on social networks.

The flight and two-week holiday in a four-star all-inclusive hotel cost Denis Stepanichenko’s family 220 thousand rubles. The family spent another 10 thousand rubles on buying medicines at local pharmacies.

A similar story happened in Gelendzhik with a resident of Yekaterinburg, Ekaterina Shipitsyna, who was vacationing at the resort with three small children, her husband and mother-in-law. “We came for four weeks, rented an apartment, cooked food ourselves, carefully washed all the fruits and vegetables, followed all the rules of hygiene, but nevertheless we got sick,” the mother of many children told the site. According to her, the three-year-old twins fell ill first, and then the one-year-old son. Later, the adults also got sick in turn. The symptoms are the same for everyone: vomiting, weakness, diarrhea, high fever. By the end of the vacation, the children managed to get sick twice.

According to Ekaterina, local residents consider the main cause of illness to be dirty sea water, in which at the end of summer, due to the heat, algae bloom and bacteria multiply. In addition, old-timers point out the lack of centralized sewerage.

Sochi City Hall: the cause of illness is the carelessness of vacationers

More than 3.3 million tourists vacationed in Sochi from January to July 2016, according to an official statement on the municipality’s website. The beaches are 100% occupied. At the same time, the administration’s health department refused to tell the site over the phone how many people were hospitalized with intestinal infections this season. the site sent an official request to the press service of the city administration, but there is no response yet.

At the same time, the city health department emphasizes that over the past six months no cases of mass infectious diseases have been registered in Sochi. According to doctors, in most cases the cause of illness is the carelessness of vacationers themselves, who do not comply with basic sanitary and epidemiological standards: for example, they buy food from street stalls and wash fruit directly in the sea. Officials have even developed a guide for tourists on how to maintain good health during vacation, however, apparently, it does not always save vacationers.

Official reports from the Sochi administration say that the water in the sea meets all necessary standards. According to the press service of the mayor's office, citing specialists from Rospotrebnadzor, this summer the water even became cleaner by about 10% compared to 2015.

The city administration notes that water samples are taken twice a week in the resort’s water area. “Since the beginning of the summer period, about one and a half thousand water samples have been taken. All of them complied with the established standards, and the maximum permissible concentration was not exceeded,” the press service of the municipality notes.

Also, messages regularly appear on the website of the Sochi City Hall regarding the improvement of local sewerage. One of them says that in 2015 in Sochi “almost 12 thousand unsewered objects were identified, at the beginning of the summer of 2016 there were 2,571 of them left.” Work in this direction continues, according to the city administration.

Ecologist: Sewage and fecal waters flow into the sea

Environmentalists point to a problem with sewerage in the Krasnodar region. “I have been on business trips to Sochi and its suburbs many times and have seen with my own eyes the sewage flowing into the sea. This situation is typical for Russia and for the villages of Sochi. Sewage and fecal waters flow into the sea. The runoff ends up in local rivers, which flow into the sea. People often swim on the beaches where the runoff comes out,” says Vitaly Bezrukov, head of the My Planet charitable environmental foundation.

According to him, the sanitary situation at the resort is also deteriorating due to the construction of mini-hotels on the site where previously there were only small private houses. “For example, there used to be a one-story house in which, say, four people lived; there was relatively little waste. Then a five-story mini-hotel was built on this site. Accordingly, the volume of sewage drains increases significantly, and they are still being discharged into the sea,” explains the ecologist. In addition, according to him, household chemicals (phosphorus-containing washing powders, detergents, etc.) enter the sea with these wastewater, which gives rise to the bloom of blue-green algae, which in turn contributes to the proliferation of pathogenic bacteria.