Emergency workers searching for victims of the Fourth of July flooding along the Guadalupe River are themselves at risk of injury, according to medical experts.
Floodwaters contain the bacteria aeromonas, which is not responsive to common antibiotics, warned Dr. Lee C. Rogers, chief of podiatry at UT Health San Antonio. These can lead to infections to the lower extremities from cuts and puncture wounds caused by debris and other sharp objects in turbid floodwaters.
“There’s always some bacteria in standing and running fresh water,” Rogers said. “But in a flood situation, runoff washes animal and perhaps human feces into the water. This increases infection risk that can last for weeks, so even those who will be doing river cleanup in the coming days need to take precautions.”…