Water Safety Tips can help prevent Waterborne Illness
COLUMBUS
PUBLIC HEALTH – Press Release
FOR
WEDNESDAY, May 24, 2017
Contact: Jose
Rodriguez (614) 645-6928 [email protected]
Water
Safety Tips can help prevent Waterborne Illness
Signs also
Help Swimmers make Healthy and Safe Choices about where to Swim
With Memorial
Day around the corner, thousands of people will grab beach towels and head to a
swimming pool, water park, fountain or spa this coming weekend and all summer
long. But, they’ll need more than sunscreen to enjoy a healthy and safe swim. A
few safety tips also can protect swimmers and keep a Recreational Water Illness
(RWI) from ruining their fun – and health.
“Swimming is
great exercise as part of an active lifestyle,” says Columbus Public Health
Commissioner Dr. Teresa Long. “Chlorine kills germs, but a few can survive in
chlorinated water for several hours to several days. As a result, even the best
maintained pools can spread illness.”
Last year,
central Ohio encountered the largest outbreak of cryptosporidium in our state
with more than 1,000 cases. To keep our community safe, there are steps we call
can take to keep from getting sick from swimming:
- Don’t swim when you have
diarrhea. You can spread germs in the water
and make other people sick.
- Don’t swallow pool water and
avoid getting it in your mouth.
- Shower before swimming and wash
your hands after using the bathroom or changing diapers.
Germs on your body can end up in the water.
- Make sure kids take frequent bathroom
breaks or change diapers often. Waiting to hear your child say
“I have to go” may mean it’s too late.
- Change diapers in a bathroom
and not at poolside. Germs can spread to surfaces
and objects in and around the pool.
- Wash your hands carefully with
soap and water before eating and swimming.
Invisible amounts of fecal matter can end up in the pool.
Dr. Long also
encourages swimmers in Columbus and Worthington to look for Columbus Public
Health’s pool inspection signs. Signs are color coded: green -- Columbus Public
Health standards were met at inspection; yellow -- pools in the enforcement
process; red -- pools closed to protect the public from health risks; and,
white -- pools on probation by the Columbus Board of Health. Pool inspection
reports are also posted online.
For more
information on recreational water safety, visit Columbus Public Health at www.publichealth.columbus.gov
or on Facebook/Twitter.
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