NATIONAL RECREATIONAL WATER ILLNESS PREVENTION WEEK

Newark, OH - The week preceding Memorial Day (May 21-27, 2007) has been designated as National Recreational Water Illness Prevention Week.

The goal of this year’s recognition is to highlight the importance of healthy swimming behaviors for preventing recreational water illnesses. Outbreaks of recreational water illnesses continue to occur in the United States each year. Sixty-two percent of these outbreaks are related to the chlorine-resistant pathogen, Cryptosporidium, (“Crypto”) which is introduced into the pool by swimmers who are ill with diarrhea and spread to other swimmers when they swallow the contaminated water.

Awareness of recreational water illnesses (RWIs) and healthy swimming behaviors play an important role in stopping transmission of RWIs. Germs on and in swimmers’ bodies end up in the water and can make other people sick. Even healthy swimmers can get sick from RWIs, but the young, elderly, pregnant women and immunosuppressed persons are especially at risk. Specific actions you can take to promote healthy swimming include:

Do not swim when you have diarrhea.
Do not swallow pool water or get pool water in your mouth.
Shower before swimming (children too!).
Wash your hands after using the toilet or changing diapers.
Take children on bathroom breaks or change diapers often.
Change children’s diapers in a bathroom, not at poolside.

“Recreational water venues are important sites for exercise and leisure,” stated Joe Ebel, Licking County Health Commissioner. “The health department regularly inspects public swimming pools and bathing beaches, but even the best maintained facilities need swimmers to help by adopting healthy swimming behaviors to reduce the risk of recreational water illnesses.”

For more information about Recreational Water Illness Prevention Week and Healthy Swimming, contact the Licking County Health Department at (740) 349-6535 or visit www.lickingcohealth.org or www.cdc.gov/healthyswimming.

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