A few years back I went surfing. I had a slight rash
on the inside of my thighs from surfing so much in nothing but shorts.
Going from sitting, to paddling on your belly over and over again will do
that. After my time in the water, one of the rash spots became infected.
That infection eventually landed me in the hospital where I was hooked up
to IV antibiotics. It was MRSA. MRSA is short for
Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus. MRSA is an
antibiotic resistant bacterium that if left untreated can be fatal.
Luckily, because I had access to top notch care the
infection was stopped. Even so, it was a long, painful process. My leg is
still scarred today.
Although I can't be 100% certain, I believe I picked up the
infection in the ocean. I shared my story with the Jersey Shore Chapter of the
Surfrider Foundation, of which I am an active member. Our Chapter is a
proud part of the Clean Ocean Action COAlition.
That day I found out that many of our members had similar
stories. After swimming or surfing, we had gotten eye
infections, ear infections, sinus infections, and even MRSA infections that
seemed to be from being in the water.
Since that first discussion, our Chapter has created the
Ocean Illness Form. You can access it by clicking here. If you or someone you know has become ill after being in the
ocean, bay, or estuarine coastal waters, please share your story with us.
The information gathered so far, 76 submissions, has been
plotted on an interactive map that you can access by clicking here.
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This map and our findings were presented to the Bureau
of Marine Water Monitoring at the NJDEP in April.
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As we collect more submissions we will begin to see areas of
poor water quality that need to be focused on. As of now, one new area of
concern is the outfall pipe that connects Wesley Lake with the ocean.
Wesley Lake lies on the northern end of Ocean Grove and the southern end
of Asbury Park.
We hope this ongoing project will shed light on, and help
solve these problems and reduce pollution.
Sincerely,
Joe Mairo
Vice Chair - Surfrider Foundation, Jersey Shore
Chapter
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