Utah residents know: The swimming pool is not for potty, nor for drinking

In the latest news of the obvious, doctors are recommending that people refrain from swimming in pools when they have diarrhea. Also, doctors advise against drinking the water. Perhaps most surprisingly, many people surveyed think it's actually okay to do these things despite common sense.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The results of a 2009 survey from the centers for Disease Control and Prevention have been released and only Utah residents scored 100%. The question: Is it a bad idea to swim in a public pool if you have diarrhea? While respondents from Utah scored a perfect 100, residents in all other states scored an average 78 percent. 

Of course, nobody's perfect. Four percent of Utah residents think it's okay to drink the same water. That's still better than the 86 percent national average. 

What are people thinking!?

Utah does have one up on the rest of the nation though, residents there were targeted in a special campaign about going poo-poo in the pool following a crypto outbreak in 2007 that sickened some 5,700 of the state's residents. Apparently the campaign worked. 

Public health officials say that children are common culprits when it comes to fecal matter in pools. In any case where a child has an "accident" the pool must be closed and sanitized. And while many people think they are protected by the chlorine in the water, that protection is overrated. 

Worse, a person does not need to have an accident in the pool to make others sick. Merely having diarrhea is enough to contaminate the pool.

Most cases are caused by a protozoa called Cryptosporidium, or often shortened to "crypto." Most cases of crypto infection are linked to public pools or ponds where people swim. 

Doctors advise that a person should not swim for at least two weeks after a bout of diarrhea. They also suggest that children take frequent bathroom breaks while swimming. In fact, during a swim, when a swimming child suggests they "have to go" it is probably a bit too late. They also say that changing diapers by the side of the pool is a bad idea for many, many reasons. 

Finally, don't drink the water. There should be no reason to explain that one.

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