CDC warns parents about pool disease dangers

[Guest guest]

(They can warn parents about potential diseases in water - but not about

mold. Go Figure!)

CDC warns parents about pool disease dangers

July 6, 2001 Posted: 11:36 AM EDT (1536 GMT)

The CDC wants parents to be aware of potential disease hazards in the water

From Cohen

CNN Medical Unit

ATLANTA, Georgia -- Three years ago, two children died when they contracted

E. coli poisoning at Six Flags White Water park in Atlanta. Now the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention has launched a campaign aimed at

educating parents about potential dangers of pool-related infections.

" I don't think it has really entered their minds that illnesses are things

that can be transmitted at swimming pools, " said Kaufman of the CDC.

" They smell the chlorine and they think that since chlorine is in the pool,

they think the water is safe. "

But sometime it isn't. For example, the parasite cryptosporidium can live

for a week in chlorinated water. It can also survive on inanimate objects.

" If someone is changing a diaper at poolside or if someone has not washed

properly and comes out and touches lounge chairs or objects on the site of

the pool like ladders, it's very feasible that illnesses can be transmitted

in that way, " Kaufman said.

Extent of problem unclear

No one knows exactly how many people get sick or die nationwide from

diseases they get at pools.

The CDC documented 10,000 cases of diarrheal illness from pools from 1989 to

1998, but officials believe that's just the tip of the iceberg, so they've

started a new safety campaign.

That's why at White Water they tell parents to change children's diapers

only in the bathroom.

" We've upgraded our baby-changing stations to add showers and sanitizing

solutions at the baby stations, " said Odum of Six Flags White Water.

Plus, White Water lifeguards have now been trained to look out for signs of

contamination. When there is a problem, they get everyone out of the pool

and add extra chlorine.

" They're looking for all types of things, including fecal matter, " Odum

said.

'False sense of security'

Sometimes parents think swim diapers keep accidents out of pools, but they

don't.

" They're not waterproof, so the germs from the fecal content or fecal matter

are actually leaking out of the diapers into the water. It's a false sense

of security, " Kaufman said.

So the CDC says check diapers frequently, wash hands thoroughly after using

the bathroom, don't swallow pool water, and don't swim if you have diarrhea.

No matter how hard the pool staff works to keep things clean, it's the

swimmers who are the first line of defense.