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 Elizabeth 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 Sean 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 John 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.