T/w terrified of this disease

PetiteQuark · December 1

I just read about this brain eating amoeba disease and apparently it said it can survive in uk tapwater and i used tapwater for wudu (an islamic ritual bath which you have to wash everything including your nose) and im terrifief now because idk if i have a cold or that like, everything hurts my throat hurts im coughing alot and my head hurts alot too and im nauseous too. Im genuinely worried

PetiteQuark · December 1

PetiteQuark wrote: »

I just read about this brain eating amoeba disease and apparently it said it can survive in uk tapwater and i used tapwater for wudu (an islamic ritual bath which you have to wash everything including your nose) and im terrifief now because idk if i have a cold or that like, everything hurts my throat hurts im coughing alot and my head hurts alot too and im nauseous too. Im genuinely worried

Ik its insanely rare btw its just i saw a video saying its dangerous and it made it seem alot more common than it actually is
Im also terrified of rabies too idrk i just hear alot about scary diseases bc i study biology ( im leaving biology soon)

Nemuritai · December 1

Hey there @PetiteQuark - I hear you and I'm sorry you're feeling scared, that must be really hard. I understand you're worried, even though the disease is very rare. It's common for seeing news like that to leave us feeling scared or shaken, and that's only natural.

If you're struggling to deal with feeling scared after reading that, grounding can really help if you feel able to, even just taking a few minutes to focus on your breath and surroundings. I wonder if you could perhaps ask your gp for reassurance or advice if you feel worried. Remember you're safe right now, and we're all here to listen if you need to offload or vent at all

sinead276 · December 1

hi @PetiteQuark - it seems you're feeling anxious over this, and it sounds like some tricky emotions and feelings to manage. whilst the video may have shown the dangers of the disease, and made it seem like a scary illness. i think it's a natural response too, and i'm sure lots of us would feel in a similar scenario.

the good thing is, is it a rare disease, and a quick google search told me that UK has some of the safest tap waters, so the risk of getting any illnesses is very low. Like the comment above says, if you need further reassurance it may be good to potentially ask a healthcare professional if possible, just to help you get that extra peace of mind about any diseases you feel worried about.

sending you lots of hugs

Nathan · December 2

@PetiteQuark For what it's worth, and this might not help, but i also experienced severe health anxiety before, which really was catastrophic for my mental health (watching monsters inside me didn't help). And the fear you have, i really do understand it well, and in my case, whilst no words could really have stopped my worries, there were a few things that might have eased it i think. My case of health anxiety might be different from yours, every case is different, but i just want to throw out a few facts that might ease those worries even just a little bit perhaps.

1) The UK has only ever had two cases in it's recorded history, both of which were almost half a century ago, and neither case was linked to tap water. To put that into perspective, the yearly chance based on that of getting it in the UK is about 1 in 1.6 billion. For reference, being struck by lightning is 1 in 3 million, about 500 times more likely. It has never once been found in British Tap water, which is completely unsurvivable for it.

2) The amoeba can only survive in warm, untreated, stagnant freshwater, which is something the UK rarely has. The UK virtually never reaches these water temperatures. The UK right now is simply way too inhospitable for it. Numbers wise, the UK has had 2 cases in it's long history (50 years ago, from untreated water, heated up to a high temperature by a spa and left stagnant, which is not allowed by law anymore), and no cases ever from treated water, where as the US has had 167 cases total, because it's much much hotter, has far more warm stagnant lakes, and has lapses in water treatment due to it having 148,000 individual water systems, many rural and using old infrastructure. Think water infrastructure situations like in flint, Michigan. The exact opposite of the UK.

3) The amoeba has never been detected a single time in UK tap water. UK tap water is fully chlorinated, with minimum chlorine levels required by law. These levels in question, makes survival of the amoeba effectively impossible. As well as that, UK water pipes stay cool 24/7 and constantly is moving, which makes it unsurvivable conditions for the ameoba in question. The UK also uses a modern, multi stage filter, unlike regions in the US where cases have happened. So overall, the amoeba cannot survive british tap water conditions at all.

4) About news articles and video's warning about tap water, they always refer to other countries that do not have proper water treatment. Mainly open and untreated water systems, none chlorinated or insufficiently chlorinated water, and water sourced from warm stagnant places, in places with aging and poor infrastructure. None of this is the case with British tap water. There's never been a single case of it found in british tap water, or a single case of people getting it from it.

5) Another point is that the amoeba cannot infect a person just from drinking it. It has to go to the very very back of the nose, which generally requires a large amount of force. I'm not familiar with what wudu is or what it includes, but generally, the amount of force required for infection is something that happens when you dive into a pool, or something similar, not from simply washing your nose if that makes sense.

6) So, many news articles will take examples of the ameoba in water in countries with failed infrastructure, poor water treatment systems, hot climates with an abundence of warm water stagnant lakes, and with poor regulations, and use them as an example then start preaching "tap water is dangerous" and other alarmist things like that for british reader's, ignoring the reality of british tap water and the difference between us and those countries, simply for extra clicks, cause a scary headline that gives them views is more important to them than actual context and facts. Notice for example, how every single one of those cases warning "the UK" of the danger, only mention US cases, and not a single British case.

So to summarise, British Tap water is not something the amoeba can survive or exist in. I fully understand your fear, because i've had a very similar fear myself, and i know this won't make that fear go away, if yours is anything like mine was, but i'm hoping it might ease things a bit. Speaking to a GP about your current illness might also help to ease things too. Sorry for the ramble.

PetiteQuark · 3:14PM

Nathan wrote: »

@PetiteQuark For what it's worth, and this might not help, but i also experienced severe health anxiety before, which really was catastrophic for my mental health (watching monsters inside me didn't help). And the fear you have, i really do understand it well, and in my case, whilst no words could really have stopped my worries, there were a few things that might have eased it i think. My case of health anxiety might be different from yours, every case is different, but i just want to throw out a few facts that might ease those worries even just a little bit perhaps.

1) The UK has only ever had two cases in it's recorded history, both of which were almost half a century ago, and neither case was linked to tap water. To put that into perspective, the yearly chance based on that of getting it in the UK is about 1 in 1.6 billion. For reference, being struck by lightning is 1 in 3 million, about 500 times more likely. It has never once been found in British Tap water, which is completely unsurvivable for it.

2) The amoeba can only survive in warm, untreated, stagnant freshwater, which is something the UK rarely has. The UK virtually never reaches these water temperatures. The UK right now is simply way too inhospitable for it. Numbers wise, the UK has had 2 cases in it's long history (50 years ago, from untreated water, heated up to a high temperature by a spa and left stagnant, which is not allowed by law anymore), and no cases ever from treated water, where as the US has had 167 cases total, because it's much much hotter, has far more warm stagnant lakes, and has lapses in water treatment due to it having 148,000 individual water systems, many rural and using old infrastructure. Think water infrastructure situations like in flint, Michigan. The exact opposite of the UK.

3) The amoeba has never been detected a single time in UK tap water. UK tap water is fully chlorinated, with minimum chlorine levels required by law. These levels in question, makes survival of the amoeba effectively impossible. As well as that, UK water pipes stay cool 24/7 and constantly is moving, which makes it unsurvivable conditions for the ameoba in question. The UK also uses a modern, multi stage filter, unlike regions in the US where cases have happened. So overall, the amoeba cannot survive british tap water conditions at all.

4) About news articles and video's warning about tap water, they always refer to other countries that do not have proper water treatment. Mainly open and untreated water systems, none chlorinated or insufficiently chlorinated water, and water sourced from warm stagnant places, in places with aging and poor infrastructure. None of this is the case with British tap water. There's never been a single case of it found in british tap water, or a single case of people getting it from it.

5) Another point is that the amoeba cannot infect a person just from drinking it. It has to go to the very very back of the nose, which generally requires a large amount of force. I'm not familiar with what wudu is or what it includes, but generally, the amount of force required for infection is something that happens when you dive into a pool, or something similar, not from simply washing your nose if that makes sense.

6) So, many news articles will take examples of the ameoba in water in countries with failed infrastructure, poor water treatment systems, hot climates with an abundence of warm water stagnant lakes, and with poor regulations, and use them as an example then start preaching "tap water is dangerous" and other alarmist things like that for british reader's, ignoring the reality of british tap water and the difference between us and those countries, simply for extra clicks, cause a scary headline that gives them views is more important to them than actual context and facts. Notice for example, how every single one of those cases warning "the UK" of the danger, only mention US cases, and not a single British case.

So to summarise, British Tap water is not something the amoeba can survive or exist in. I fully understand your fear, because i've had a very similar fear myself, and i know this won't make that fear go away, if yours is anything like mine was, but i'm hoping it might ease things a bit. Speaking to a GP about your current illness might also help to ease things too. Sorry for the ramble.

Thank you im alot more calmed down now im guessing it's because i stopped taking antidepressants for a while but im back on them and i feel a bit more calm and logical, im honestly gonna quit btec science because i dont think its helping me either studying biology and my family isnt supportive at all about my panic problem and well any of my mental health issues.

T/w terrified of this disease

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