If you have a weak immune system, you may want to avoid local swimming pools. Pueblo Health Officials have confirmed cases of Cryptosporidium, also known as “Crypto,” in Pueblo residents.
Officials tell 11 News that the residents who tested positive recently swam in Walsenburg Wild Waters pool. To prevent the spread of the illness, the Pueblo City-County Health Department is placing health advisories at pools in Pueblo.
In a press release, Jody Carrillo, division director of the Disease Prevention and Emergency Preparedness Division at the Pueblo City-County Health Department, said, “It is important for people who have been swimming in the past two weeks and are experiencing diarrhea and abdominal cramping to contact their doctor.”
According to officials “Crypto” is a swimming pool water illness. It can be more severe for people with weakened immune systems, so those people may want to avoid local pools.
The most common symptoms include diarrhea and abdominal cramping which can last for one to two weeks or more and can easily be spread. People can see symptoms within one to 12 days. “Crypto” can be spread when people with diarrhea go swimming. Because Crypto can stay alive for days even in well-maintained pools, stopping the germs for getting into the pool is essential.
Here are some prevention steps for all swimmers:
-Don’t swim when you have diarrhea. You can spread germs in the water and make other people sick.
-Don’t swallow the pool water. Avoid getting water in your mouth.
-Practice good hygiene. Shower with soap before swimming and wash you hands after using the toilet or changing diapers. Germs on your body end up in the water.
Here are three steps for parents of young kids:
-Take your kids on bathroom breaks or check diapers often. Waiting to hear “I have to go” may mean that’s it too late.
-Change diapers in a bathroom or a diaper-changing area and not at poolside. Germs can spread in and around the pool.
-Wash your child thoroughly with soap and water before swimming. Invisible amounts of fecal matter can end up in the pool.
-Wash your hands after going to the bathroom or changing diapers.
For more information call the Pueblo City-County Health Department at 719-583-4300. Or you can search “cryptosporidium” on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, listed below.