Cholera in the Vaal system

[bluegill]

Hi all

Saw this on news24 a few moments ago:

http://www.news24.com/News24/South_A...093599,00.html

Cheers

Alan

[NCBass]

Very true... all the local/regional newspapers in our are have the "death threat" headlines going as well.
Best to take proper precaution when fishing any stretch of the Vaal below the Vaal dam.

[pieterkriel]

the fact is that there are all kinds of deseases in "raw" water, and there will always be, only thing we can do is be carefull when fishing, whatever the river system

[Scythe]

PK, Indeed, I heard of a chap who picked up Bilharzia (sp) from the Vaal.

(dog only knows how he managed to do that)

As an incidental coincidence, my brother picked up Bilharzia from Stillwaters around Clarens about 6 months ago, only properly diagnosed three weeks ago and the big thing is, once you have it, you never get rid of it.

[Gael]

A few years back when I was living int he UK and visited SA for a holiday, I got Bilharzia from Bronkhorstsptruit.

Really took the docs in the UK a while to diagnose me, no matter how many times I told them exactly what I had.

[bluegill]

It is amazing how waters can vary.

I was at Sterkfontein late last year with David Weaver (local guru) fishing for yellows & the water is crystal clear & David reckons the ecoli (spelling) count is less than what we have in tap water i.e. the water out of Sterkies is healthier for you!!

Cheers

Alan

[Yellowfever]

�t amazes me that people go on about all these other diseases but most guys I meet on the river don't give a hoot for Skin Cancer. More people (in 1st World society) die of skin cancer than from Cholera. It is one of the most aggresive cancers around.

I've had Bilharzia as a kid and suffer no consequences, Malaria can revisit not BH. As for Clarens area and the Vaal. My knowledge base said warm and stagnant water. I'll have to Wikipedia that and get back to you.

[Scythe]

Which was exactly why I was like "Uhm, you got Bilharzia from the Vaal?"

[Gael]

�t amazes me that people go on about all these other diseases but most guys I meet on the river don't give a hoot for Skin Cancer. More people (in 1st World society) die of skin cancer than from Cholera. It is one of the most aggresive cancers around.

I've had Bilharzia as a kid and suffer no consequences, Malaria can revisit not BH. As for Clarens area and the Vaal. My knowledge base said warm and stagnant water. I'll have to Wikipedia that and get back to you.

I totally agree that skin cancer is a danger that not enough people consider, anyone that has fished with me knows that I take sun protection pretty serious and I’ve been teased about it in the past (here comes the spandex bandana man )

Since I do take skin cancer seriously, I would prefer not to have to catch Cholera instead

[dizzy]

A few years back when I was living int he UK and visited SA for a holiday, I got Bilharzia from Bronkhorstsptruit.

Really took the docs in the UK a while to diagnose me, no matter how many times I told them exactly what I had.

Does anyone know if they've cleared up the Bilharzia in Roodeplaat?