'Super bacteria' discovered in Rio's waters as Olympics near

[riversedge]

Source: cnn




By Flora Charner, CNN

Updated 7:16 AM ET, Tue July 5, 2016


Story highlights

Bacteria is coming from local sewage and could affect water sport competitions
Athlete says beach water "feels like there's some alien enemy entering your face"

Rio de Janeiro (CNN)A group of Brazilian scientists have detected a drug-resistant bacteria growing off the shores of some of Rio de Janeiro's most stunning beaches, one month before they're due to host the 2016 Olympic Games.

According to lead researcher Renata Picao, the "super bacteria" entered the city's waterways when sewage coming from local hospitals got channeled into the bay.

"We have been looking for 'super bacteria' in coastal waters during a one year period in five beaches," Picao told CNN, during a visit to her lab. "We found that the threats occur in coastal waters in a variety of concentrations and that they are strongly associated with pollution."


The news comes as Rio prepares to host hundreds of thousands of athletes and tourists during next month's 2016 Summer Olympic Games..................



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2016/07/05/americas/rio-de-janeiro-super-bacteria/index.html

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[yellerpup]

1. Kick for visibility.

Our environment is the most important thing. We need all hands on deck NOW!

[Dustlawyer]

2. Think of all of the extra sewage the crowds will be leaving.

We have no thought of the oceans thinking they can absorb infinite amounts of shit. If Rio and the rest of Brazil wish to continue having tourism they will need to invest in sewage treatment.

We are not ones to talk given what is going on in Florida and what happens in Galveston every year. Why don't we legalize drugs and spend some money on treatment and move cops into busting industrial polluters. Let's put some of these company officers in jail and watch the problem go away.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

16. ^^^^^^^^

for best-results solutions.

I wish this would happen everywhere.

[iandhr]

3. They should have moved the games long ago.

It has been clear for a long time that the health and safety of athletes are at risk.

[SheilaT]

4. I know that already some athletes

have decided they won't be in the Olympics because of Zika. Not to mention some NBC staffers are refusing to go.

And the problem with sewage in Rio has been well reported for about two years now. The entire games will be one total cluster fuck.

[perdita9]

6. It's not fair to the athletes

The Olympic committee made a bad call.

It's clear that the model of moving the games around to a different place every time isn't working and is bankrupting countries. It'd be better to build a permanent spot for the Summer games and another for the Winter games and just do it that way.

[SheilaT]

7. I agree.

[perdita9]

5. The Olympic committee chose Brazil over the USA

And the Republicans cheered that decision.

Well, we all have to live with our choices.

[iandhr]

9. Given how the Olympics financially strain...

... the cities that host them I bet the residents of Chiago are glad they aren't the hosts.


In 2012 New York was the American bidder. The games were eventually awarded to London. There were tons of news about how the games were financially straining London and now how many of the venues go unused.


New York was better off not hosting them. What where we going to do with the where we going to do with the Whitewater we got a centering whitewater center in queens after the games?

[Heeeeers Johnny]

10. Call me a NIMBY

Have it anywhere but in the USA.

Let some other country deal with the expense and headaches if they really want to host it that bad.

A large group of community spokespersons developers and business people tried desperately
to have it in Boston in 2024.

Fortunately, the idea wasn't met with much enthusiasm by the people who actually live in the area, and would
have to deal with the nightmare, and the plan was scrapped.

[jtuck004]

12. :Have it anywhere but in the USA." < I am guessing there are lot of countries who agree

with you, not wanting to deal with the racism, xenophobia, and general level of ignorance of other cultures and peoples they would be treated to here.

Frankly, I would rather deal with a superbug than a bunch of whiny, lazy-ass Americans, who are much more likely to build excuses as a good show.

In the future we may see even more of that.

[Baitball Blogger]

8. This sounds like a plot for a sci fi movie.

Dumping waste from a hospital? Super bacteria AND an Olympics event?

[Igel]

11. Levering a crisis. Well, a small, potential crisis.

1. It's bad to have sewage from hospitals reach open waters untreated. Bad things can live in hospital sewage, and not just "bad things" but a concentration of bad things.

2. It's not logical to assume that the "super bug" reached the open water from hospital sewage. The antibiotic-resistant strain is likely to be found in far more places than just the hospital--it's not like some teleportation system screen everybody leaving the hospital and removes the bacteria. In other words, thousands of toilets, most outside of the hospital, might have contributed their small, um, portions to the problem.

On the other hand, it's rhetorically nice to ignore (2) and focus on (1) because that's a problem good public health policy would worry about all by itself.

[dembotoz]

13. it should have worked better...reuse pretty new world cup facilities

i like the concept of having the games in other places than the usual suspects.

One would have thought that spreading the investments over both events would have created some efficiency....

guess not.

do not want to insult brazil by calling them third world cause they are not. but what would have been construction over existing infrastructure elsewhere is different when that infrastructure really does not exist. and clearly the sewage treatment does not exist to the extent needed.

had it worked it would have been a great leap forward

bridge too far?

[IamTheNoodle]

14. They should have the Olympics permanently in Greece

Countries would then bid to have the honor of organizing the opening ceremonies which would still highlight the country that wins that bid. The IOC could help Greece build stadiums that are used year after year instead of the 1 and done situations going on now. A permanent Olympic village and facilities would be a tourist draw even when it's not an Olympic year.

[uppityperson]

15. What bacteria are they talking about? It sounds like c. diff, but I can't find what it is beyond the

sensationalizing"super" claim. I'd appreciate more info, if anyone knows. Thank you.