Hotel pools, hot tubs and water parks are cesspools for parasites and bacteria, a new federal study revealed.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a study Wednesday showing that those pools are responsible for one-third of swimming-related diseases. From 2000 to 2014, the agency recorded 493 outbreaks, which caused eight deaths and at least 27,219 illnesses.
One of the most common diseases is caused by a parasite called Cryptosporidium, or “Crypto,” which is responsible for 58 percent of outbreaks and 98 percent of illnesses. Crypto is strong enough to survive even when pools are cleaned properly, and spreads after someone who is sick with the parasite has diarrhea in the water and other swimmers swallow the contaminated water.
“Swallowing just a mouthful of water with Crypto in it can make otherwise healthy kids and adults sick for weeks with watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting,” said Michele Hlavsa, chief of CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program. “Chlorine cannot kill Crypto quickly. We need to keep it out of the water in the first place. Don’t go into the water, and don’t let your kids go into the water, if sick with diarrhea.”
Other diseases are caused by bacteria Pseudomonas and Legionella, which are responsible for 16 percent and 13 percent of outbreaks, respectively, and live in slimy areas of water when pools or hot tubs aren’t cleaned properly. Pseudomonas causes rash and swimmer’s ear, while Legionella, also known as Legionnaires’ disease, causes severe pneumonia and symptoms that are similar to the flu.
More than half of outbreaks start during the summer as people begin swimming more often. The CDC report shows that Legionnaires disease increased over time and that Pseudomonas decreased over time. Crypto leveled off around 2008.
