New Mexico News
| HEALTHBITS - State Warns of Parasite in Public Pools |
| Posted by () on May 21 2008 at 7:11 PM |
N.M. cases of chlorine-resistant bug doubled in 2006, doubled again in 2007.
As the weather warms up and people begin to flock to public swimming pools, state health and environment officials are warning of an increase of Cryptosporidium, or Crypto, cases caused by a chlorine-resistant parasite in New Mexico's pools.
Reported Crypto infections among New Mexicans in 2005 were 0.9 per 100,000 people, which had more than doubled in 2006 to 2.3 Crypto cases per 100,000, according to a joint news release from the New Mexico Department of Health and the New Mexico Environment Department.
Preliminary data for 2007 suggest that the rate has doubled again to 5.8 cases per 100,000 people, the release said.
Swimming is the second most popular recreational activity in the United States and the most popular activity for children, but is also fraught with health risks, such as drowning, injuries and the spread of infectious diseases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Germs on and in swimmers' bodies end up in the water and can make even the healthiest swimmer sick, but the young, elderly, pregnant and immunosuppressed people are especially at risk, the state news release said.
As part of the National Recreational Water Illness Prevention Week, state officials offer these healthy swimming tips:
-- Don't swim when you have diarrhea.
-- Don't swallow pool or other recreational water or get the water in your mouth.
-- Shower before swimming (children, too!).
-- Wash your hands after using the toilet or after changing diapers.
-- Take children on bathroom breaks or change diapers often.
-- Change children's diapers in a bathroom, not at poolside.
For more information about healthy swimming, go to the state Department of Health Web site or to the CDC's Web site.
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