Diarrhea Cases Caused By 'Poop Water' In CT Pools: Report

CONNECTICUT — The water in your local Connecticut swimming pool and water park may look clean and clear, but those pristine-looking fun spots are where most people catch bugs associated with summertime parasites.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued a warning now that public health officials say at least 40 states have seen a sharp rise in cryptosporidium, or crypto.

The parasite can cause weeks-long bouts with diarrhea. There has been a rise of Connecticut cases with 81 confirmed in 2018, according to the state Department of Public Health. There were 74 cases in 2017, according to the CDC. Reported cases were lower in 2012 through 2014 with between 38 and 44 in those years. The state Department of Public Health is notified of cases through physicians and laboratory test results.

There have been 957 confirmed cases between 1996 and 2017 in Connecticut with 16 percent of patients being hospitalized, according to the CDC. Only one percent of the cases were outbreak associated.

More than 50 percent of Connecticut cases occur during July, August and September, DPH told Patch.

In Connecticut DPH oversees construction of aquatic recreation areas to ensure they meet design standards and local health departments perform regular inspections of aquatic venues and enforce regulations designed to reduce the risk of illness, drowning and injuries.

CT DPH works with local health departments should a disease outbreak occur and would help oversee any remediation needed at a facility where an outbreak occurs.

New data from the CDC shows a strong likelihood that people are spreading the disease, which can cause "profuse, watery diarrhea" for up to three weeks, by jumping into the water too soon after they've been sick.

When the poop of humans and animals infected with the parasite gets in the water — even chlorinated water, where it can survive for up to seven day — others can become sick if they swallow the contaminated water, the CDC said.

Nationally, the CDC said 35 percent of outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis were linked to treated swimming pools and water playgrounds from 2009 to 2017. Crypto outbreaks increased nationally annually at an average rate of 13 percent, and nearly 7,500 people overall were sickened over that period.

Although cryptosporidiosis is almost never fatal, one person in the U.S. died over the past 10 years and 287 others required hospitalization.

The CDC report released on Friday also showed that, nationally, during the period of 2009-2017:

• More than a third of the cases of crypto were in swimming pools, kiddie pools and water playgrounds;
• At least 22 cases originated from untreated water, such as lakes;
• At least 86 cases involved contact with animals, mostly cattle;
• At least 57 cases were associated with child-care settings;
• At least 22 cases were food-borne, most involving unpasteurized milk or apple cider;
• Most cases were reported in the months of July and August, and 2016 was the peak year for outbreaks.

Crypto is a challenging parasite to control because it has a protective outer shell that makes it difficult to kill. And not only can it survive for days in chlorinated pools and water playgrounds or on surfaces disinfected with chlorine bleach, it only takes a few germs to make someone sick.

"There can be millions of crypto germs in poop," the CDC said. "Someone sick with crypto can have diarrhea for up to three weeks."

The agency recommends that people not swim for at least two weeks after their last bout with diarrhea.
That's important because nearly a quarter of Americans say they would jump into a swimming pool within 24 hours of a bout with diarrhea, according to a survey released last month by the Water Quality & Health Council. That report also found 51 percent of Americans report using a swimming pool as a communal bathtub, either using swimming a substitute for showering or using it to rinse off after strenuous work.

The public at large has a responsibility to control the spread of crypto, the CDC said.

"Young children can get seriously sick and easily spread crypto," Michele Hlavsa, a registered nurse who heads the agency's Healthy Swimming Program, said in a statement. "They don't know how to use the toilet and wash their hands, or are just learning how. But we as parents can take steps to help keep our kids healthy in the water, around animals, and in childcare."
The CDC advises:

• Don’t swallow swimming water
• Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea
• Shower before getting in the pool
• Take kids on bathroom breaks every hour
• Change diapers in a restroom area and not near the pool where germs could easily spread to the water.

Additional reporting by Shannon Antinori, Patch Staff