Cryptosporidium outbreaks have increased in pools and lakes in the United States, according to a new Centers for Disease Control report released Thursday.
From 2011 to 2012, the CDC documented 90 recreational water illnesses that affected 1,788 people and hospitalized at least 95 in 32 states and Puerto Rico. The report found 77 percent of the outbreaks recorded occurred in pools, and of these 52 percent were attributed to Cryptosporidium parvum.
Crypto is “extremely chlorine resistant”
Cryptosporidium is a parasite that causes serious gastrointestinal illness and survives in water that is chlorinated at typical pool levels.
“This parasite is extremely chlorine-resistant,” Michele Hlavsa, lead author of the report, said to CBS News. “Swimmers bring it into the water when they are sick with diarrhea.”
Reducing your risk as a pool operator
The Centers for Disease Control in the 2014 Model Aquatic Health Code issued recommendations that public pools have a back-up to chlorine such as UV or ozone. However, UV only sanitizes the microbes, meaning they are still alive but unable to reproduce. Ozone oxidizes the microbes, but not as effectively as an Advanced Oxidation system.
Pool sanitation technology using an Advanced Oxidation Process offers complete inactivation of Cryptosporidium within one hour. In other words, it destroys the parasite rapidly, returning the pool to a safe swimming environment more quickly.
The CDC says swimmers can reduce their risk by following these four tips:
- Don’t go into the water if you have diarrhea
- Shower before getting into the water
- Don’t urinate or defecate in the water
- Avoid swallowing the water
To learn more about advanced oxidation, watch our video.
