From Deseret News archives:
Swim restrictions are eased for toddlers
The Utah Department of Health and local health departments on Tuesday eased restrictions aimed to combat a statewide, severe outbreak of cryptosporidium. In late August, public health officials decided to tackle the fecal-borne parasitic illness, which causes severe diarrhea, by mandating that all toddlers under age 5 stay out of public pools.
"Those kids under 5 are the most in danger of having an accident in the water and of swallowing water and getting sick," said UDOH spokeswoman Charla Haley.
It appears, she said, that the combination of restrictions and a heightened chlorination regimen has had an impact, and the number of cases has started to drop.
In a typical year, there are about 30 cases of cryptosporidosis. This year, 1,705 have been reported, most since June. Recently, health officials would return to the office on Monday to find about 150 cases identified over the weekend. This week, there were only 25 — a high number compared to a normal year, but an indication that the outbreak is being controlled.
State epidemiologist Dr. Robert Rolfs said health officials will continue to monitor the issue, and if numbers start to climb, restrictions may be boosted again.
Now the challenge for pool owners and health officials is seeing that numbers don't climb. And the public has the major responsibility for that. They must take precautions, said Haley.
People who have been sick recently need to stay out of the swimming pool for a couple of weeks after they feel better. Parents need to be sure that children wash thoroughly, particularly around their bottoms, before getting into a pool. And because many of the cases were spread person-to-person, not just from swallowing pool water, parents needs to be very particular about their own and their children's hygiene.
"You really have to be very careful when you change a diaper and wash your hands carefully," Haley said.
Good hygiene is still the best way to fight the spread of the parasite and a variety of other ills, including cold and flu.
Health officials also are telling people who are most at risk of becoming seriously ill if exposed to crypto to stay out of public pools. Those at risk include young children and pregnant women, as well as anyone with a severely weakened immune system. That includes people with HIV/AIDS or cancer and transplant patients, as well as those with diseases that affect the immune system.
The counties whose health departments still ban diaper-using children from the pool are Box Elder, Cache, Rich, Juab, Millard, Piute, Sanpete, Sevier, Wayne, Davis, Salt Lake, Carbon, Emery, Grand, San Juan, Summit, Tooele, Utah, Wasatch, Weber and Morgan.
E-mail: lois@desnews.com
