Feel free to leave your mark this summer…just not in the pool. The CDC is reminding everyone, especially parents of younger children, to not swim with diarrhea.
It only takes one person with diarrhea to contaminate an entire pool. And if you’re wondering how can a little “run” can ruin the fun?
The CDC says “Tiny amounts of poop are rinsed off swimmers’ bottoms as they swim through the water. If someone with infectious diarrhea (which can contain up to one billion germs) gets in recreational water, germs can be washed off their bottom and contaminate the water. These germs can make someone else sick if they swallow even a small amount of contaminated water.”
Chemicals used in a recreational pool such as chlorine and bromine kill most germs within minutes, but swimmers can get infected during the time it takes for those germs to die.
All in all, don’t streak your swimmies or the pool. If you or your child is feeling sick and experiencing diarrhea, keep it contained by hanging poolside.
