The "Poo" in "Pool"- what you may not know

[bltcahill]

I know, nobody likes to think about what is or has been in the pool that has become your family's second home this summer.  But beyond floating bugs, used band-aids and too much chlorine, can live a protozoan parasite called Cryptosporidium, or "Crypto" as well as the Coxsackievirus that causes Herpangina and Hand-Foot-and-Mouth disease.  And yes, these are spread through the fecal-oral route, so that means poop.  The Crypto parasite is most notorious for passing on nasty bouts of diarrhea, which can lead to dehydration and that risk is magnified in the summer heat.  There are also prevalent strains of CHLORINE RESISTANT Crypto, so no matter how much the water burns your eyes, your butt is still not safe. Herpangina causes a high fever, sore throat and red or ulcerated spots near the back of the mouth or on the palate.  Hand-Foot-and-Mouth disease causes symptoms similar to Herpangina accompanied with vomiting and small blisters that appear on the hands, feet, and around the mouth.  Once symptoms have presented they can also be spread through saliva or the infected person's fecal matter.  The Coxsackieviruses most commonly affect young children and are highly contagious.


So let's revisit some common sense pool rules that, until now, probably didn't seem as important as "no running" or "no diving."

• Shower WITH SOAP before entering the pool.  This means, if your kids aren't great at wiping (and even if they are), wash their little tushies.  And, since you're probably walking barefoot through a locker room, wash your feet too!
• Don't come swimming if you're sick!  And don't bring your kids no matter how much they begged you or how much pepto you gave them.
• If your child isn't COMPLETELY potty trained, put them in a swim diaper, no matter how expensive they may be or how much you want them to be potty trained 100%, don't risk it!  Warm water can affect a child who's not completely bowel trained (and if you've ever had to clorox your tub after bathtime you know what I mean)
• No spitting or spouting water.  Hopefully this one needn't be directed to adults, but make sure this is one you really reinforce with your kids. Yeah, their mouths are dirty and spread germs (which is a huge part of this rule) but you really don't want what's in the water going into their mouth!
• Don't change diapers poolside.  Not only is this for everyone's health, it's a Health Code violation as well.  Oh, and please spare the lifeguard your glares if they ask you to move to the locker room, no matter how cold or slimy it is.
  

But, we have a pool in our backyard!  Nobody in our family is sick or dirty!  Well, what about Fido?  Does he use the yard as a toilet? And do your kids run barefoot in the yard before deciding to hop in the pool and cool down? Crypto and Coxsackievirus spread though animal waste as well. 
Crypto is one of the most common waterborne diseases and exists worldwide. This means, rivers, lakes, streams, pools indoor and out, splash-decks and fountains. Please don't get lazy with the pool rules, they really are there for a reason, and do your part to keep the "poo" out of "pool"!

[ivansmom07]

Jul. 4, 2009 at 1:32 PM

I want my butt to be safe!!

Thanks for the info!!

[NebraskaMomma]

Jul. 5, 2009 at 9:40 AM

Thank you for posting this. I'm not a big fan of public pools, and this is further reason NOT to take Wee Elliot, who is immunocompromised anyway! Now, if I could just get my ‘husband’ to read your post! He seems to think that everything is ‘safe,’ including the nasty lake water as well! LOL! Have a great summer!

[bltcahill]

Jul. 5, 2009 at 11:01 AM

I don't want people to be paranoid about swimming, especially in public pools, which in my experience are pretty clean.  I just wanted to share this information to get people to be a little more proactive in doing their part to keep pools clean and safe for everyone.  But I still can't argue keeping an immunocompromised kiddo away from a public pool!

(Original Poster)