Beware of germs in the pool
Summer is here, and with the easing of coronavirus restrictions, the urge to dive back into the swimming pool could not be higher. Swimmers may be relieved to know that you can’t catch COVID-19 from the water — but plenty of other disease-causing germs are lurking below the surface.
Between 2015 and 2019 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recorded 208 outbreaks of illness linked to pools and hot tubs that resulted in 3,646 infections, 286 hospitalizations and 13 deaths, and experts say those numbers could be much higher.
Nearly all of the recorded outbreaks (96 percent) were associated with public pools, hot tubs or water playgrounds. Hotels and resorts accounted for 34 percent of outbreaks, with the majority of them originating in hot tubs (70 percent) versus pools. And most outbreaks occurred in the months of June, July and August.
“With public pools, you have more people with more germs coming into that water,” said Michele Hlavsa, chief of the CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program. “So, they are more likely to have an outbreak versus if it’s just one family using the pool — they’re bringing in less germs.”
MOST COMMON GERMS
• Cryptosporidium: The leading cause of recreational water-related outbreaks originated from cryptosporidium (also known as crypto), a parasite that can cause a gastrointestinal illness such as diarrhea, the CDC report found.
“Once [crypto] gets into the pool water and it’s exposed to chlorine levels that you would expect to see in a well-operated pool, it can survive for more than seven days,” said Hlavsa, who also co-authored the CDC report. If swallowed, the parasite can cause diarrhea that lasts more than three days — and this can be especially dangerous for older adults, she added.
• Legionella: A bacterium called legionella was the next most common cause of outbreaks and the source of all 13 recorded deaths between 2015 and 2019. It can cause a severe type of pneumonia, called Legionnaires’ disease, or a less serious illness called Pontiac fever, which can cause flu-like symptoms. People 50 and older, current or former smokers and those with weakened immune systems are more likely to develop a lung infection from the bacteria, according to the CDC.
Other common ailments linked to pools and hot tubs are skin rashes, ear pain, cough or congestion, eye pain and other infections.
If you think you’ve gotten sick from a pool, seek medical attention and notify your local health department. If health officials start making connections between people who are getting infected, they may launch an investigation to identify a potential outbreak.
Nine ways to stay safe from a pool-related illness
1. Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea. If you have been diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis, the illness caused by the parasite, don’t go back into the water until two weeks after diarrhea has completely stopped.
2. Shower before you swim. Rinsing off in the shower for one minute removes most of the dirt or anything else on your body that uses up pool chemicals to kill germs.
3. Don’t swallow the water. The number one way you can protect yourself from crypto is to avoid swallowing the water, Hlavsa said.
4. Have kids? Take frequent bathroom breaks. For those who are very little, check diapers every hour and change them away from the water to keep germs from contaminating it.
5. Beware of red eyes and a strong “chlorine” smell. The smell comes from a chemical irritant called chloramine that occurs when chlorine combines with what washes off swimmers’ bodies. Chloramine also causes red, blood-shot eyes.
6. Protect open cuts or wounds. It’s best to stay out of the water, especially if the cut or wound is the result of a recent surgery or piercing.
7. Mind your ears. Dry ears thoroughly after swimming or wear a bathing cap or ear plugs to prevent swimmer’s ear, an infection in the outer ear canal.
8. Shower after with soap. After getting out of water for the day, remove your swimsuit and lather up to kill any germs clinging to your skin. Wash your swimsuit, too.
9. Check your own pool. Make sure the drain at the bottom of the deep end of the pool is visible, secured and in good condition. Use test strips that can be purchased at a pool supply or hardware store to check the chlorine or bromine levels and pH in the water.
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