CDC Warns About Rise of Fecal Parasites In Swimming Pools
It's summer, it's hot, and we are entering a long holiday weekend that probably has swimming on the agenda. Before you dive in that cool, clear water there are two things you must remember; chlorine does not kill everything and DO NOT OPEN YOUR MOUTH IN THE WATER!
Maybe that's a tad dramatic, but this CNN article shared by mystateline.com really made my stomach turn this morning, and I think we all need to be aware of its existence. The article says that the Center for Disease Control is warning Americans about the rise of a fecal parasite called "crypto" that is transmitted via swimming pools, or more importantly by people who ingest infected pool water.
The article says;
The parasite’s full name is cryptosporidium. It causes cryptosporidiosis, which can leave healthy adults suffering from “profuse, watery diarrhea” for as long as three weeks.
Pools aren't the only place crypto can spread, but it is one of the places where it is found in the highest magnitude.
The CDC says;
The parasite is a problem in pools is because an infected swimmer can excrete the parasite at several orders of magnitude higher than the amount necessary to cause infection. Cryptosporidium has a high tolerance to chlorine and can survive in a properly chlorinated pool for up to seven days
Umm....yuck.
For the record, I'm not sharing this information to scare you right out of swimming in a pool ever again, but best practice should definitely be CLOSE YOUR MOUTH COMPLETELY while you do it.
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