The number of outbreaks attributed to a diarrhea-inducing parasite often transmitted via swimming pools and water playgrounds doubled from 2014 to 2016, according to the CDC's most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Sixteen outbreaks linked to the parasite Cryptosporidium were reported in the U.S. in 2014, compared to the 32 outbreaks reported in 2016, according to the report. The parasite can be easily passed via pool water contaminated by the fecal matter of a sick person, which is not easily eliminated by chlorine and can survive for up to 10 days in treated water.
"To help protect your family and friends from Crypto and other diarrhea-causing germs, do not swim or let your kids swim if sick with diarrhea," said Michele Hlavsa, RN, chief of the CDC's Healthy Swimming Program. "Protect yourself from getting sick by not swallowing the water in which you swim."
Cryptosporidium is the leading cause of waterborne disease in the United States. To learn more about the parasite, click here.
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