Health Warning: Diarrhea Caused By Parasites in Swimming Pools, Water Playgrounds
CDC reports Crypto outbreaks, provides tips for healthy swimming
School’s out, the summer’s here and it’s time for the kids to hit the pool … and then later a pediatrician’s office if you aren’t careful.
The CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report stated there has been a 13% increase in cryptosporidiosis outbreacks each year from 2009 to 2017.
Over the past decade, the CDC says there has been more than 40 reported outbreaks in the United States, with nearly 7,500 people becoming sick. More than 200 people were hospitalized and one person died as a result of the disease.
Crypto is a germ that causes diarrhea. The germ is found in fecal matter of a person who has been infected by Crypto.
Even in chlorinated water, the tough outer shell of Crypto allows it to survive for a long time. It can last for days even in properly chlorinated pools.
Crypto can be painful with prolonged diarrhea lasting as long as 1 to 2 weeks. Young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become ill.
"We all want to have fun in the summer but it’s important that we think about the safety of our child and others. If your child has had diarrhea it is important to keep them out of the pool," said Justin Smith, M.D., a Cook Children's pediatrician in Trophy Club and the medical advisor for Digital Health.
Crypto can be spread by swallowing contaminated water from pools, water parks, interactive fountains, water play areas, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, streams and oceans.
Swallowing even a small amount of pool water that has been contaminated by the Crypto germ can make your child sick. If one person infected with Crypto has diarrhea in the water, the water can be contaminated with hundreds of millions of germs.
The CDC offers these tips for healthy swimming:
Keep the pee, poop, sweat, and dirt out of the water!
- Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea.
- Shower before you get in the water.
- Don’t pee or poop in the water.
- Don’t swallow the water.
Every hour—everyone out!
- Take kids on bathroom breaks.
- Check diapers, and change them in a bathroom or diaper changing area—not poolside—to keep germs away from the pool.
- Reapply sunscreen.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
“Cryptosporidiosis is an unpleasant illness that can be avoided by simply following the CDC tips above.”
School’s out, the summer’s here and it’s time for the kids to hit the pool … and then later a pediatrician’s office if you aren’t careful.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says outbreaks of a parasitic infection linked to swimming pools and water playgrounds are increasingly being reported to them, with twice as many outbreaks in 2016 as in 2014.
At least 32 outbreaks caused by Cryptosporidium (also known as “Crypto”) linked to swimming pools or water playgrounds in the United States were reported in 2016, compared with 16 outbreaks in 2014, according to preliminary data published in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Crypto is a germ that causes diarrhea. The germ is found in fecal matter of a person who has been infected by Crypto.
Even in chlorinated water, the tough outer shell of Crypto allows it to survive for a long time. It can last for days even in properly chlorinated pools.
Crypto can be painful with prolonged diarrhea lasting as long as 1 to 2 weeks. Young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems are more likely to become ill.
Crypto can be spread by swallowing contaminated water from pools, water parks, interactive fountains, water play areas, hot tubs, lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, streams and oceans.
Swallowing even a small amount of pool water that has been contaminated by the Crypto germ can make your child sick. If one person infected with Crypto has diarrhea in the water, the water can be contaminated with (maybe delete the “tens of”) hundreds of millions of germs.
The CDC offers these tips for healthy swimming:
Keep the pee, poop, sweat, and dirt out of the water!
- Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea.
- Shower before you get in the water.
- Don’t pee or poop in the water.
- Don’t swallow the water.
Every hour—everyone out!
- Take kids on bathroom breaks.
- Check diapers, and change them in a bathroom or diaper changing area—not poolside—to keep germs away from the pool.
- Reapply sunscreen.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
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