Over 444 infected, 16 dead and spreading to L.A. and the SF Bay Area including the non-homeless population.

So far, one remedy deployed in the street is power washing the sidewalks in the homeless encampment area, then spraying bleach on the sidewalks. From NBC News San Diego:

“The County of San Diego has increased efforts to maintain sanitary conditions by routinely power washing benches and sidewalks with a chlorine-bleach solution in strategic areas, and increasing the availability of toilets and hand washing stations throughout the county, according to a statement.”

One of the issues I take up with the spraying of bleach, or any toxic chemical, is that the process alone is a test. Why do we place so much faith in chemical companies to produce products that are safe and healthy for us? Sure bleach has been known to kill germs, but so has hot water.

In my opinion, the risk of infection increases when no beneficial microorganisms are left to fend off the pathogens–that’s part of the reason yogurt (or probiotics) are used to “restore” gut and digestive health; to replace the good guys. Keep in mind that what happens internally also takes place externally. Microbes vie for position all the time in our environment. Thank goodness the good guys win most battles.

To treat an infection, not only are antibiotics prescribed, doctors have recently began prescribing probiotics as well–to replace the good guys. Why wouldn’t it make sense to employ a similar philosophy to the external environment?