Summers are here and swimming would be on top of your mind, but beware…

Summer has arrived and how! Well, the effects this scorching heat has upon us explain it all. Figuring out the ways to beat the terrible heat is all you want to do.  For most people spending afternoons around a large and refreshing body is the best way to prevent the temperature from getting them down.  But before you swim away from the heat, here is something you shouldn’t overlook.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), pool induced diarrhoea is on the rise due to a growing number of outbreaks of something called Cryptosporidium. A parasitic infection, Cryptosporidium that likes to hang out around swimming pools and water playgrounds, manifests in humans causing diarrhoea, stomach cramps, nausea, and vomiting, not the mention the water deprivation you’ll experience because of it.

By bringing this to your notice we did not mean to scare you to drop the idea of swimming, in fact, the good news is that you can guard yourself against the infection.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Crypto infections can occur from ingestion of one-celled parasite. Once the parasite enters your intestinal track, it begins building it’s home  in the walls of the intestines and during this point it starts producing more cells and releasing them in your faeces.

The question that should be bothering you after reading this would be, how exactly does one ingest Cryptosporidium? Right? Well, there are plenty of ways, one of which is the most obvious of all, swimming in contaminated water and accidentally swallowing it. Because, nobody intentionally drinks water from swimming pool. In addition, you can also end up with the Crypto in your guts if you touch something that is contaminated and then touching or putting hand to your mouth.

Now the question you should be asking is how would you know if you have Crypto in your guts?

You will not notice anything about a week after infection. After a week, you may experience the aforementioned symptoms along with loss of appetite, sudden weight loss or fever.  As per Mayo Clinic, you may be down with the symptoms for 2 weeks. However, the symptoms may linger around up to a month.

Here are some do’s and don’ts that you should follow before you go for a swim

Avoid swallowing water while swimming

Like we said above nobody does that on purpose, but it’s better to take extra care to not let your mouth open while swimming to minimise the risk.

Showering before and after swimming

If you take a shower post your swimming session, it will cut down the risk of sticking a contaminated hand in your mouth. While taking shower before you go for a swim ensures that you don’t bring anything into the pool that ideally should not be there.

Keep sick people out of the pool

Whether it’s you or somebody you know, stay out of the pool if you have had diarrhoea recently.

Take bathroom breaks

Take bathroom breaks so you do not contaminate the pool water by peeing in the pool.

Image source : Shutterstock

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