Parasites In Pools Are Skyrocketing In America

Jul 24, 2018

Increasing levels of cryptosporidiosis have public health officials concerned.

In the warmer months, plenty of people head to public pools to cool off. Unfortunately, rising temperatures and crowded public areas tend to cause microorganisms to spread rapidly. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, rising levels of pool parasites are causing more and more people to get dangerous health problems.

This growing problem was first brought to public attention when the CDC noted that a concerning amount of people were being brought to medical care with horrible diarrhea. After further investigation, they found that most people were infected with cryptosporidium. The number of people infected with crypto has skyrocketed lately. There were only 16 cases of crypto outbreaks nationwide in 2014, but this year, there were almost 2,000 people infected just in the state of Ohio.

It turns out that crypto is spreading so rapidly for a very gross reason. The parasite is spread whenever a person ingests particles that contain the parasite. It then causes the person to have huge diarrhea outbursts that spread the parasite to other people. So essentially, most people who get crypto have unknowingly swallowed pool water contaminated with diarrhea that contains Cryptosporidium. The tiny parasites can live up to 10 days in chlorinated water, and just a single mouthful of water can be enough to infect a person.

The main symptom of cryptosporidium is a lot of excessive, watery diarrhea. People also experience painful stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting. All of these unpleasant symptoms can last up to three weeks. During that time, a person can end up fatally dehydrated from the constant vomiting and diarrhea. Because cryptosporidium can be so dangerous, the CDC encourages people to call their doctor if the symptoms do not stop after three days.

The main way to avoid cryptosporidium is to just stay away from public pools, but this is not always possible. If you or your loved ones are swimming in a pool, you need to be very careful to avoid swallowing any water while swimming. Young children who cannot avoid accidentally swallowing water should stay away from the pools. If possible, encourage everyone using the pool to shower before entering. This will reduce the chance of anyone else spreading it into the pool

The next time you want to cool off, you may want to think twice about taking a dip in a crowded pool. Do you think the risk of pool parasites is high in your area?

Our content is created to the best of our knowledge, yet it is of general nature and cannot in any way substitute an individual consultation with your doctor. Your health is important to us!