4 Steps for Healthier Swimming This Summer
Understanding Recreational Water Illness (RWIs)
Summer is coming. Swimming and other water-related activities are some of the most popular activities during summer. However, they are not risk-free. One of the risks is known as recreational water illnesses (RWIs). Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, or oceans.
RWIs can cause a wide variety of infections, including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound infections. The most commonly reported RWI is diarrhea. Diarrheal illnesses can be caused by germs such as Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Shigella, norovirus, and E. coli O157:H7.
Swimmers share the water—and the germs in it—with every person who enters the pool. When someone is ill with diarrhea, their stool can contain millions of germs. This means that just one person with diarrhea can easily contaminate the water in a large pool or water park. Swallowing even a small amount of recreational water that has been contaminated with feces containing germs can make you sick. Remember, chlorine does not kill germs instantly, and some germs, such as Cryptosporidium (or “Crypto”), are extremely chlorine tolerant. Additionally, lakes, rivers, and the ocean can be contaminated with germs from sewage spills, animal waste, and water runoff following rainfall. Some common germs can also live for long periods of time in salt water.
Many other RWIs (skin, ear, eye, respiratory, neurologic, wound, and other infections) are caused by germs that live naturally in the environment (for example, in water and soil). If disinfectant levels in pools or hot tubs are not maintained at the appropriate levels, these germs can multiply and cause illness when swimmers breathe in mists or aerosols of or have contact with the contaminated water.
RWIs can also be caused by chemicals in the water or chemicals that evaporate from the water and cause indoor air quality problems.
*Microbes are tiny living organisms. Some microbes are germs that can make you sick.
Learn CDC's 4 steps of healthy swimming to help protect yourself, your family, and friends from recreational water illness this summer
- Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea.
- Shower before you get in the water.
- Don’t pee or poop in the water.
- Don’t swallow the water.
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