Keeping Crypto Out of Our Pools

Article at a Glance:

• Cryptosporidium (crypto) is a chlorine resistant parasite that can cause diarrhea, cramps, and vomiting.
• Prevent the spread of crypto by not allowing your children to go swimming if they have diarrhea.
• Utah recently experienced an outbreak in 2007 that infected at least 5,700 people.

Public pools are carefully monitored for diseases and chlorine, but we also play a very important part in keeping our public pools safe.

Cryptosporidium (crypto), one of the most common waterborne diseases in the United States, is chlorine resistant and can live for months. The best way to keep cryptosporidium out of our pools is by being careful about what goes into our pools. Just one person can infect the entire pool.

Here are some important steps we can take to keep our pools safe:

• Don’t swim if you have diarrhea.
• Try not to swallow pool water.
• Take a shower before swimming.
• Children who are not potty trained should wear swim diapers.

Crypto is caused by parasites that reproduce in your intestinal tract. Symptoms include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, dehydration, fever, and nausea. In 2007, Utah experienced an outbreak of crypto that infected at least 5,700 people. Since then Utah has been especially vigilant about preventing another outbreak.