Pabst Farms YMCA Shutting Down Pools Over Crypto Worry

WAUKESHA COUNTY, WI -- The pool at the Pabst Farms YMCA is going to be closed through the Thanksgiving Holiday - and a little beyond.

That's because staff at the YMCA is working to treat their pools to clear cryptosporidium.

YMCA officials said they discovered the presence of cryptosporidium on Nov. 7 when staff were made aware of a confirmed case of cryptosporidium in an individual that previously used the pool.

As a precaution, the Pabst Farms YMCA voluntarily closed the pools to hyper-chlorinate them according to CDC guidelines and under the guidance of the Waukesha County Public Health Division.

The pools reopened following those treatments.

Later, on Nov. 13, the YMCA learned that there had been two more confirmed cases of cryptosporidium among YMCA members. While staff said they had no reason to believe that the YMCA pools were the source of these cases, out of an abundance of caution, and to help prevent any further spread of cryptosporidium, staff said they were taking a number of additional steps:

Voluntarily closing all pools, and hyper-chlorinating all pools, per CDC guidelines.

The pools will remain closed through Sunday, November 25.

According to the Center for Disease Control, once a cryptosporidium has been discovered in a pool, anyone swimming in the pool is at risk. Primary symptoms include a fever, and gastrointestinal issues. The parasite is transmitted by people, and if an outbreak occurs, elevating the chlorine level in the pool is the recommended way to kill off the bacteria.

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