"Parasite in Baltimore-area drinking water may harm elderly, children, immunocompromised"

From the Baltimore Banner, September 28:

Those with compromised immune systems should filter or boil water before drinking, officials said

Low levels of the parasite Cryptosporidium were discovered in Druid Lake Reservoir, one of two open-air reservoirs that feed into the water supply for parts of Baltimore City and Baltimore County, as well as Howard County, the city Department of Public Works informed the public Thursday.

Cryptosporidium, or crypto for short, is known to cause gastrointestinal problems, especially among those with compromised immune systems, as well as the elderly and children, according to a release from the department.

Those with weakened immune systems and “other sensitive populations” are advised to drink bottled water, boil water for one minute before using, or filter tap water. People should discuss with their health care provider whether children and older adults should take these same precautions if they have concerns, said Dr. Tamara Green, chief medical officer for the Baltimore City Health Department.

According to Baltimore City’s advisory, people with compromised immune systems include those with HIV/AIDS, inherited diseases that affect the immune system, or cancer, and organ transplant patients who are taking certain immunosuppressive drugs.

Green said the current low level of contamination in the water supply means the risk of developing symptoms of cryptosporidiosis — the disease caused by a crypto infection — is low for the general population with healthy immune systems. The most common symptom of cryptosporidiosis is watery diarrhea. Other symptoms include stomach cramps, dehydration, nausea, vomiting, fever or weight loss. People who are infected may not experience symptoms....

....MUCH MORE

Maintaining a clean safe water supply is one of the basic functions of municipal government. And it is pretty important; there was a cryptosporidiosis outbreak in Milwaukee (thanks to the all-knowing one, Wikipedia) that killed 69 people and cost over a half-billion dollars to ameliorate.

In other basic functions of government news:

Baltimore mayoral candidate reacts to alarming state test results: 40% of city high schools show zero proficiency in math

As noted in our Independence Day 2023 post:

In Virginia 84 percent of Black students lack proficiency in mathematics and 85 percent of Black students lack proficiency in reading skills.
The teachers unions and the rest of the educational-industrial complex have achieved what the slave codes and anti-literacy laws could not....

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If interested, here is Virginia's 1831 amendment to the existing slave laws:

6. Be it further enacted, That if any white person, for pay or compensation, shall assemble with any slaves for the purpose of teaching, and shall teach any slave to read or write, such person, or any white person or persons contracting with such teacher so to act, who shall offend as aforesaid, shall, for each offence, be fined at the discretion of a jury, in a sum not less than ten, nor exceeding one hundred dollars, to be recovered on an information or indictment.

The South Carolina Act of 1740:

Whereas, the having slaves taught to write, or suffering them to be employed in writing, may be attended with great inconveniences; Be it enacted, that all and every person and persons whatsoever, who shall hereafter teach or cause any slave or slaves to be taught to write, or shall use or employ any slave as a scribe, in any manner of writing whatsoever, hereafter taught to write, every such person or persons shall, for every such offense, forfeit the sum of one hundred pounds, current money”

And many, many more. Pure History has a chronological list of the slave codes, laws and acts of the various slave states.

[Black man reading newspaper by candlelight] ca. 1863, U.S. Library of Congress

• Title: [Black man reading newspaper by candlelight]
• Creator(s): Stephens, H. L. (Henry Louis), 1824-1882, artist
• Date Created/Published: [ca. 1863]
• Medium: 1 drawing : watercolor.
• Summary: Man reading a newspaper with headline, "Presidential Proclamation, Slavery," which refers to the Jan. 1863 Emancipation Proclamation.
• Reproduction Number: LC-DIG-ds-16192 (digital file from original) CaLC-USZC4-2442 (color film copy transparency) CbLC-USZCN4-285 (color film copy neg.) CcLC-USZCN4-311 (color film copy neg.)
• Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication.
  
• Access Advisory: Restricted access: Materials in this collection are often extremely fragile; most originals cannot be served.
• Call Number: CAI - Stephens (H.L.), no. 1 (A size) [P&P]
• Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.pnp/pp.print...