By Alissa Widman Neese, The Columbus Dispatch
COLUMBUS – Public-health officials are imploring area residents to obey a simple but crucial rule: If you’re sick, stay out of the pool.
Apparently, someone didn’t get the memo. A diarrheal disease linked to swimming pools, splash pads and a water park is rapidly spreading across central Ohio, prompting public health officials Thursday to declare a community outbreak.
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At least 107 cases of cryptosporidiosis have been reported so far this year in Columbus and Franklin and Delaware counties — more cases than the health departments saw in the past three years combined. (All but about a dozen or so of the cases were reported in July.)
The parasitic disease has been linked to exposure at area pools and the Zoombezi Bay water park in Delaware, but it’s difficult to pinpoint a single, specific location, officials said. The majority of infected people have reported recently visiting more than one place to swim, which makes the source of the contamination difficult to track.
The already-alarming number of cases is expected to climb as more infected people come forward.
“We’re still trying to connect all the dots, with a focus on prevention,” said Traci Whittaker, spokeswoman for the Delaware General Health District. “All it takes is one person carrying the parasite to spread this infection to multiple people.”
Whittaker says 19 people had contracted the disease after visiting Zoombezi Bay in July but that number has since grown.
Safety measures for spray fountain, pool or water park:
Do not swim when you have diarrhea and for two weeks after you recovered.
Do not pee or poop in the water.
Take a shower/bathe before going in the water.
Wash hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, changing diapers and before eating.
Change diapers in a bathroom and not by the pool.
Take kids on frequent bathroom breaks and check diapers often.
Avoid swallowing any water and keep it out of your mouth.
Source: Columbus Public Health
Cryptosporidiosis is caused by a microscopic parasite and is most commonly spread through water, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The parasite is protected by an outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for extended periods of time and makes it tolerant to chlorine disinfection.
The crypto germ is found in the fecal matter of a person who has been infected and is spread by swallowing water that has been contaminated with fecal matter containing crypto. It can also be spread from human-to-human contact.
Symptoms , which can last for as long as two weeks, include watery diarrhea with abdominal pain and cramping, which can be accompanied by dehydration, weight loss, fever, nausea and vomiting. Infected persons can continue to spread the disease for several weeks after diarrhea subsides, so health officials say those people should avoid activities involving recreational waters for at least two weeks after diarrhea subsides and practice diligent handwashing.