The cholera-like vibrios detected in the water of the Inhulets River do not pose a serious threat to residents of the Kherson region and are a seasonal natural phenomenon.
This was reported to MOST by the deputy head of the Main Department of the State Service of Ukraine for Food Safety and Consumer Protection in the Kherson region, Marina Malakhova.
According to her, such microorganisms can appear in bodies of water during the summer period due to increased water temperature and its stagnation.
“This vibrio – is a seasonal natural phenomenon at this time of year. When there is a bit of water stagnation, when the temperature rises sharply, this happens. For us, for specialists, this is a normal seasonal phenomenon”, – she said.
Marina Malakhova emphasized that there is no threat to the drinking water supply, since residents of Kherson and the right-bank part of the region use water from underground sources.
Also, according to her, the risks associated with consuming fish are minimal. Cholera-like vibrios quickly die during cooking, and also in the acidic environment used during pickling.
At the same time, specialists recommend not using water from open bodies of water for drinking and food preparation, and also to refrain from buying fish at informal street markets.
Also, according to the official, after the detection of the vibrios no special response measures were implemented, because this is not the cholera pathogen and the concentrations are not ones that pose a danger to human health. Moreover, the service assures that no public complaints related to the bacteria detected in the water have been recorded so far, and the epidemiological situation is under control.
At present, no restrictive measures regarding visiting bodies of water have been implemented due to the detection of cholera-like vibrios. At the same time, Marina Malakhova urged residents to be careful when spending time near the water and to follow the recommendations of specialists.