Health officials in Oregon issued a cautionary health advisory Friday afternoon after confirming the toxicity of blue-green algae found in the Willamette River, advising all residents and visitors to stay away.

According to the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), test results released on Friday revealed that the algae found along the Willamette waters extending through Portland have been identified to be of toxic specie called Microcystis Aeruginosa.

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Tests results revealed that the water's microcystis level showed 50 percent higher than the maximum level that is considered to be within the safe zone.

Because of the agency's recent findings, the entire 10-mile stretch of the Willamette River has become off-limits.

Tested by the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, the water at the Oregon river that flows to the popular tourist beach destination, the Sauvie Island, is deemed to be very dangerous, especially when drank.

"Drinking water directly from this stretch of the Willamette is especially dangerous at this time. The type of algae produces toxins that are harmful to humans and animals," the health advisory stated.

According to state health experts, intake of water with the toxic blue-green algae may result in dizziness, numbness, weakness, tingling, and diarrhea.

The toxins in the river were also found to be fatal for children as well as pets as reports indicated that dogs could die within an hour after consuming the contaminated water and no filtration process has yet been proven effective when it comes to making the water safe enough for consumption.

Residents are also advised to avoid consuming fish and shellfish found in the river as they may also be poisonous to humans.

Swimming in the contaminated water has also been deemed dangerous as skin contact with the algae-infested waters may cause skin rashes.

Toxic algae has been a lingering problem in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and is usually attributed to warm waters.

However, previous reports of an algae outbreak have only been confined within small bodies of water such as lakes and ponds.

According to John Modie, a spokesperson for the OHA, unusually high temperatures in stagnant waters in Portland may have caused the algae to form and had gradually spread to the connected flowing waters of the Willamette River.

Though he refused to speculate on how long the toxic algae would remain in the Oregon river, he cited that it could take days or even months before the contamination dissipates.

Tagsalgae, Toxic, Oregon, river, Willamette River, Microcystis aeruginosa