The best strategy is to not open your mouth. “Don’t ingest any pool water, or untreated water in general, because you don’t know what’s in it,” Galvan says. Here’s what you can do to reduce your risk of getting a waterborne illness: Go to the hospital emergency department immediately if you or a family member has symptoms of Naegleria fowleri, the brain-eating amoeba, which can include fever, nausea, severe headache, vomiting, a stiff neck, and seizures. If you have diarrhea, your doctor can do a stool culture to determine if bacteria is the cause and prescribe the appropriate antibiotic, if necessary. See your doctor if you have severe diarrhea - four or more runny or watery bowel movements in one day - severe stomach pain, a tender rash, or any of the above symptoms that last for more than two weeks. “For mild cases of diarrhea and vomiting, replace lost fluids with water, Pedialyte, Gatorade, or popsicles,” says Riza Taddy Conroy, MD, associate clinical professor of family medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Respiratory illnesses, such as a cough or congestion.Symptoms of Recreational Water-Related Illnessīe on the lookout for these common symptoms of waterborne illness, which can show up within a day or so of swimming or spending time in pools and lakes. From 2012 to 2021, only 31 infections were reported in the United States, according to the CDC. Fortunately, illness from Naegleria fowleri is rare. The brain-eating pathogen may be found in warm, freshwater lakes and rivers, mostly in the Southern U.S. In rare cases, waterborne illness can be caused by Naegleria fowleri, a brain-eating amoeba that can travel to the brain from recreational water that enters the nose. Other potential water contaminants that can leach from human or animal feces and make you sick include shigella, norovirus, and E. That same report found that more than 40 percent of the reported and diagnosed illnesses were caused by legionella, which causes Legionnaires’ disease, a severe pneumonia, and Pontiac fever, a milder illness with flu-like symptoms. Crypto, which is highly resistant to chlorine, can take more than seven days to kill, Galvan says. Of the 75 percent of the outbreaks with a confirmed diagnosis, nearly half were caused by crypto, which causes gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea. outbreaks associated with recreational water, including public pools, hot tubs, and water playgrounds, which resulted in 3,646 cases of illness, 286 hospitalizations, and 13 deaths. From 2015 to 2019, the CDC reported 208 U.S. And, of course, at public pools and water parks, there may be fecal accidents that sneak under everyone’s radar.Ĭryptosporidium, or crypto, is another common water contaminant that could make you sick. Swimming in a pool that’s not properly chlorinated, or swimming too soon after a fellow swimmer has befouled the water, can also lead to illness. For example, after the pool or water park has been evacuated, some guidelines recommend increasing the water chlorination level and making sure all filtration systems are working properly,” Galvan says. “Chlorinated pools continuously kill organisms, but swimmers could get sick if the right cleaning measures aren’t taken after a fecal contamination event. Giardia has a tough outer shell, which allows it to survive up to 45 minutes, even in properly chlorinated pools and water playgrounds. If you swallow the contaminated water, you could get infected. If one person infected with giardia has diarrhea or accidentally poops in the water, the water can become contaminated with tens of millions of giardia germs, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Giardia can also infect people in pools or water playgrounds. After all, “animals have no reason not to defecate in the water,” Galvan says. The parasite can leach into fresh water from wildlife feces. Giardia, a tiny parasite that causes diarrhea potentially lasting two weeks or more, tops Galvan’s list. Bad Water Bugs: The Most Common Offenders Here’s a breakdown of the most common germs in bodies of water - and what you can do to stay safe. Don’t let water-related illnesses dampen your outdoor adventures. “Pools and untreated water from lakes and other sources can contain all kinds of environmental organisms that could make you sick,” says Benjamin Galvan, infection preventionist at Tampa General Hospital in Florida and spokesperson for the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. But gulp! Even a mouthful of contaminated water can put a serious damper on your summer fun. Nothing’s more refreshing than a dip in the pool or a nearby lake.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |