Noting that Diarrhea and swimming don’t mix, US' medical body Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) warned people with the disease against swimming this summer.
An animated gif, showing a child going down a slide while leaving a brown streak behind, was posted on the Twitter with a similar message.
“Don’t leave your mark at the pool this summer!” reads the gif text. “It only takes one person with diarrhoea to contaminate the entire pool.”
Minutes after sharing the gif, Twitteratti couldn't contain itself on the illustration used.
One said, Forget covid19 beware of shittykids.
Well there goes my summer plans, said another.
I saw it, so you have to as well, said another Twitter user.
In another post, US' medical agency said, Diarrhea and swimming don’t mix! Follow CDC’s Steps for Healthy Swimming to help protect yourself and those you care about from illness at the pool.
The US health agency also shared a link on the Twitter post that reveals how germs spread in recreational water and also how to take necessary precautions.
The CDC page about the disease reads, the tiny amounts of poop are rinsed off swimmers’ bottoms as they swim through the water. If someone with infectious diarrhea (which can contain up to one billion germs) gets in recreational water, germs can be washed off their bottom and contaminate the water. These germs can make someone else sick if they swallow even a small amount of contaminated water.
In public pools, water playgrounds, and hot tubs, disinfection of the water (with chlorine or bromine) and filtration work together to help kill germs. Chlorine and bromine kill most germs within minutes, and filters remove debris (e.g., leaves, sticks), which use up the needed chlorine or bromine, it said.
Swimmers may still be exposed to germs during the time it takes for the chlorine or bromine to the kill germs or for the water to be recycled through filters. And certain germs, like Crypto, can stay alive for days, even in pools with proper filtration and disinfection, it further reads.
Many facilities use one filtration system for multiple pools, which causes water from multiple pools to mix. This means germs from one person’s body could contaminate the water in multiple pools, it also said.
How to protect yourself and the people you care?
Stay out of the water if you are sick with diarrhea.
- Use test strips to make sure the water has a proper free chlorine (amount of chlorine available to kill germs) or bromine level and pH.
- Shower before you get in the water
- Don’t poop in the water.
- Don’t swallow the water.
- Take kids on bathroom breaks and check diapers every hour
