
DATE: Tuesday, September 16, 1997           TAG: 9709160294

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY HOLLY A. HEYSER, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: RICHMOND                          LENGTH:   69 lines

VA. STANDS BY KEEPING RAPPAHANNOCK OPEN

A day after Maryland closed a third Eastern Shore waterway because of an apparent Pfiesteria piscicida outbreak, Virginia health officials Monday explained their decision not to close the Rappahannock River, where sick fish were spotted Friday.

They said that while Maryland has reported cases in which people developed symptoms such as skin rashes and memory loss after exposure to pfiesteria, Virginia has not.

``The bottom line is that we don't know of any (human) health effects in Virginia,'' Dr. Randolph Gordon, state health commissioner, said at a news conference. ``And we're continuing to look for them.''

To make sure it isn't missing anything, the health department will set up an 800-number by the end of the week so people can report symptoms they suspect are related to pfiesteria. In the meantime, people can call their local health departments to report concerns.

Maryland has closed parts of three tributaries to the Chesapeake Bay due to pfiesteria, a microscopic marine organism that releases toxins responsible for huge fish kills.

In the first case, Maryland and Virginia closed portions of the Pocomoke River to humans after thousands of dead fish were found there in late August.

Since then, Maryland has shut down Kings Creek and the Chicamacomico River in response to the sightings of fish that were merely sick, not dead.

When Virginia officials spotted sick fish in the Rappahannock River on Friday, they elected not to close the river.

Over the weekend, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Donald S. Beyer Jr. questioned the Republican administration's handling of the scare, saying it wasn't responding to the problem aggressively enough. On Monday, health officials defended their actions.

``We had people out there exposed to the (Rappahannock) water when there were lesioned fish,'' and no one suffered symptoms of pfiesteria, said Suzanne Jenkins, acting state epidemiologist. ``If we did, we'd be closing the river.''

Closing waterways can directly harm people who make a living from fishing and recreational activities on the closed portions of rivers, officials said. And it can indirectly harm the entire multibillion-dollar industry on the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

``You create more concern than may be necessary,'' Jenkins said. ``We have anecdotal information that (the pfiesteria scare) has hurt the seafood, travel and resort industries.''

And Gordon noted that closing some waterways due to pfiesteria outbreaks may create a false sense of assurance that other waterways are free of the microorganism.

Instead, Virginia has chosen to focus on public education efforts, urging people to avoid swimming in waters where dead or dying fish are present and advising them not to eat fish or shellfish that have sores or ulcers or were dead or dying when they were found. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic

PRECAUTIONS

Recent fish kills and findings by researchers that the

microorganism Pfiesteria piscicida has been linked to skin lesions,

memory loss and other health effects in humans. As a precaution ,

the Virginia Department of Health reminds residents:

Call your doctor if you have any symptoms that you think could be

related to swimming, fishing or boating on affected waters.

Don't swim where you see dead or dying fish.

Don't eat fish or shellfish which have sores or ulcers, which are

found dead or dying, or which are taken from areas where there are

large numbers of sick or dying fish.

Bathe with soap and water after swimming. KEYWORDS: PFIESTERIA