[MR] Pennsic Water and Sanitation

[Stefan li Rous]

Rebecca said:
<<< I know I have had Pennsic water before and while not what I've  
wanted, when you're hot in the middle of the field I know it never  
made me truly sick.

Are we sure that Pennsic water is what made people unhealthy and have  
documented it?  I ask because I worry that if we relate stories like  
that and they're not well documented with medical testing we could  
become the group that brings SCA into a slander suit with Coopers Lake  
Campground. >>>

I doubt that chit-chat, even on an SCA list would subject the SCA to  
such a problem.

However, I doubt that the high-iron content of the Pennsic water makes  
it unsafe. There have been times in the past that folks sought out  
such water in mineral springs and such. Also had any substantial  
problem been seen, I'm sure the public health authorities would have  
been called in long ago.

Some folks internal systems may not be used to the high iron content  
while many others wouldn't be affected. In time of severe drought,  
there can be problems from drawing water from the top levels of an  
aquifer, but I don't believe this year is one of those.

Recently Maistor Justinos Tekton called Justin, who has been Pennsic  
War Chirurgeon twice, commented on the SCA-Newcomers list:

<<< One thing that we always stress, with good reason, is the  
importance of
hand and kitchen sanitation. What most people call the "stomach flu"
isn't flu at all, but often is a virus of a family called Noroviruses,
named after Norwalk, Ohio, where they were first studied in detail. The
Noroviruses cause nausea, fever, gastrointestinal upset, and related
symptoms; in most healthy adults, the virus is a nasty nuisance but not
life threatening. >>>

His full message is now in this recently updated file:
New-2-Pennsic-msg (56K) 7/15/11 Information for those new to Pennsic.
http://www.florilegium.org/files/PENNSIC/New-2-Pennsic-msg.html

If a camp has the following problem
<<< the purity level of pennsic well water is horribly turbid and  
anyone who consumes it runs the risk of peeing from their butt for  
some time. >>>

I think they need to take a hard look at their camp sanitation  
practices and not jump to the conclusion that it is the Pennsic water  
which is causing the problem.

I, too, have been drinking both the Cooper's Lake water and bottled  
water through the dozen or so Pennsics, I've been to, from Pennsic 21  
to just a few years ago, and have never had the problem to which Logan  
refers.

Justin goes on to say:
<<< The important thing about Noroviruses is that they are spread by
fecal-oral contamination. That means someone didn't wash their hands
after using the toilet, or that they left dirty dishes around the
campsite that were visited by the same flies who had previously been in
the loo.

Yucky? You bet! But the good news is that Norovirus infections are often
quite preventable with simple sanitation:

* Wash your hands thoroughly, with soap and water, after using the loo.
  It is important to scrub vigorously for at least 30 seconds. Reciting
  the "ABC Song" or "Twinkle Little Star" is a good guideline. The soap
  doesn't have to be "antibacterial"....regular soap works fine.

* If no soapy water is available, the alcohol-based hand sanitizers are
  an acceptable alternative, but again be sure to spread the sanitizer
  well over your hand and fingers. This is not as good as the soap and
  water route, though, so treat this only as your backup plan.

* Don't leave dirty dishes or leftover food sitting out in your camp,
  and wipe down your dining tables and food prep areas with diluted
  bleach solution.

* If you have symptoms like the Noroviruses, visit the First Aid/EMS
  pavilion. The SCA provides only first aid care, but there are also
  licensed physicians on hand from our professional EMS/medical
  contractor. The physicians can help you be sure you don't have
  something more serious and can help you avoid spreading it to your
  campmates. Also, there is an SCA person who happens to be a virus
  researcher in the modern world, and she tracks Norovirus outbreaks
  statistically at Pennsic and helps identify patterns that might
  indicate an area where some extra attention is needed.

So, when you go to Pennsic, help win the war against germs. Wash your
hands, wash your dishes, and stay healthy! >>>

Another pair of files on the subject:
P-Sanitation-art (18K) 8/13/09 "Pennsic Sanitation for the Compleat  
Idiot" by Qatagin-u Jajiradai (called Master Jaji)

http://www.florilegium.org/files/PENNSIC/P-Sanitation-art.html

P-Food-Safety-art (7K) 7/19/01 "Pennsic Food Safety" by Andrew MacRobb.

http://www.florilegium.org/files/PENNSIC/P-Food-Safety-art.html

Since it is now getting close to Pennsic, and there might be some  
folks here who could use this info, here is another file which I just  
added to the PENNSIC section of the Florilegium:

CPAP-a-Pensic-art (12K) 7/13/11 "CPAP at Pennsic" by Master Philip the  
Pilgrim

http://www.florilegium.org/files/PENNSIC/CPAP-a-Pensic-art.html

Those who need to recharge batteries, for any reason, at Pennsic might  
also find some of this article of use, even if you don't use a CPAP  
machine.


Have an enjoyable Pennsic. I wish I was going this year!

Stefan
--------
THLord Stefan li Rous    Barony of Bryn Gwlad    Kingdom of Ansteorra
    Mark S. Harris           Austin, Texas          StefanliRous at austin.rr.com
http://www.linkedin.com/in/marksharris
**** See Stefan's Florilegium files at:  http://www.florilegium.org ****