20 Aug, 2024 @ 18:12
1 min read

E.Coli warning in Spain: Beach of major resort is closed after potentially harmful bacteria is found in the sea

Lanzarote Beach
Tourists enjoy the sun on the sand beach of Puerto del Carmen on the Canary Island Lanzarote, Spain

HEALTH authorities have closed off a beach in Spain after detecting E.Coli in the water.

A red flag has been raised on a section of Los Pocillos beach in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote.

According to the Lanzarote Emergency Consortium, the area behind the Jameos Playa Hotel has been effectively cordoned off after the harmful bacteria was detected.

The decision was taken on Tuesday at 12pm, after samples taken by the Health Department on Monday tested positive for E.Coli.

The local Tias Town Hall said in a statement: “As a precaution, due to the high levels ??that have been detected and according to the regulations, swimming has been prohibited.”

The local Councillor for Beaches, Christopher Notario, stressed that the E.Coli has only been located in a specific corner of the beach, behind the hotel complex.

This morning, health inspectors returned to the area to take new samples, the results of which will be known on Wednesday.

The council said other points of the beach were also analysed but showed no signs of contamination.

According to the council, the exact source of the bacteria is still unknown.

However it said ‘it is always due to some type of discharge, via spillages or leaks’.

According to the World Health Organisation: “Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a bacterium that is commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals.

“Most strains of E. coli are harmless. Some strains however, such as Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), can cause severe foodborne disease.”

It adds: “Symptoms of the diseases caused by STEC include abdominal cramps and diarrhoea that may in some cases progress to bloody diarrhoea (haemorrhagic colitis). Fever and vomiting may also occur.

“The incubation period can range from 3 to 8 days, with a median of 3 to 4 days. Most patients recover within 10 days, but in a small proportion of patients (particularly young children and the elderly), the infection may lead to a life-threatening disease, such as haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS).

“HUS is characterized by acute renal failure, haemolytic anaemia and thrombocytopenia (low blood platelets).”

Laurence Dollimore

Laurence Dollimore is a Spanish-speaking, NCTJ-trained journalist with almost a decade’s worth of experience.
The London native has a BA in International Relations from the University of Leeds and and an MA in the same subject from Queen Mary University London.
He earned his gold star diploma in multimedia journalism at the prestigious News Associates in London in 2016, before immediately joining the Olive Press at their offices on the Costa del Sol.
After a five-year stint, Laurence returned to the UK to work as a senior reporter at the Mail Online, where he remained for two years before coming back to the Olive Press as Digital Editor in 2023.
He continues to work for the biggest newspapers in the UK, who hire him to investigate and report on stories in Spain.
These include the Daily Mail, Telegraph, Mail Online, Mail on Sunday and The Sun and Sun Online.
He has broken world exclusives on everything from the Madeleine McCann case to the anti-tourism movement in Tenerife.

GOT A STORY? Contact newsdesk@theolivepress.es or call +34 951 273 575 Twitter: @olivepress

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