The Center for Disease Control has issued a statement warning that there’s a “crypto” fecal parasite that can live in swimming pools for days.
Health officials are telling Americans to be aware of the rise a “crypto” parasite that can be transmitted in swimming pools. The parasite’s full name is Cryptosporidium, which also causes the diarrheal disease cryptosporidiosis.
Cryptosporidiosis can cause adults to suffer from “profuse, watery diarrhea” for up to three weeks. Symptoms in children, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems can be worse.
“The number of treated recreational water-associated outbreaks caused by cryptosporidium drives the summer seasonal peak in both waterborne cryptosporidiosis outbreaks and cryptosporidiosis outbreaks overall,” according to a statement from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease is reportedly not often deadly; however, one person did die in 2009 following an outbreak. As many as 287 people were hospitalized between 2009 and 2017, according to the CDC.
Eighty-six cases involved contact with animals, mostly cattle, 57 cases were related to child care environments, 22 cases were foodborne, mostly involving unpasteurized milk or apple cider. Most of the cases were found in the months of July and August. Between 2009 and 2017, the cases have increased by an average 12.8 percent annually, CNN reports.
In terms of children, health officials say any child suffering from diarrhea should not be placed in child care. The CDC says child care businesses should make sure all surfaces are cleaned with hydrogen peroxide, as chlorine bleach is an ineffective means of killing the parasite. And people who are dealing with a case of diarrhea should abstain from swimming until at least two weeks after diarrhea subsides.
About 24 percent of Americans say they have gotten into a pool within an hour of having diarrhea, according to a survey released last month by the Water Quality & Health Council.
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