As the summer approaches, it is important to be aware of water-related illnesses that can affect children in your care and learn steps that help keep everyone healthy.

Even in well-maintained pools, some germs can survive for days. Swallowing contaminated water from pools, hot tubs, splash pads, water tables, oceans, lakes, or rivers can lead to diarrhea, the most common illness associated with water outbreaks. Although pool chemicals, like chlorine or bromine, help kill germs in the water and keep it safe for swimming, some diarrheal-causing germs such as Cryptosporidium (Crypto), Giardia, Shigella, Norovirus and E. coli O157, can survive in chlorinated water for varying periods.

Follow these and other steps to help prevent swimming-related Illnesses:

1. Keep children out of water activities if they have diarrhea.
   
   • Children should not swim or return to childcare for at least 24 hours after diarrhea resolves, without the use of anti-diarrheal medications.
     
   • Children diagnosed with Crypto should wait to swim for 2 weeks after recovering.
     • Diarrhea must be completely resolved.
       
2. Remind children not to swallow recreational water.
   
3. Encourage children to take frequent bathroom breaks and change diapers away from the water. 
   
   • Remember to follow bathroom breaks and diaper changes with hand washing.
     
4. Have children rinse off before entering pools, splash pads, or hot tubs and wash and sanitize hands before playing with water tables.

Contact Us with Questions

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to GNR Public Health’s Epidemiology Team at 770-339-4260, press 0, and ask to speak with the Epi on call.

Thank you for helping create a safe swimming environment for children in your care this summer!

Read more about preventing swimming-related illnesses at CDC