Always shower before swimming. Start
out the day clean.
Don't drink the water, and make potty breaks
routine.
Swimming with diarrhea might make your friends sick.
Stay home when you're ill. Be safe. Get well quick!
We swim for good times!
You can't have good times when you are sick.
You don't want to get sick and you don't want anyone else to get sick.
Recreational Water Illnesses (RWI's) are illnesses that are spread by
swallowing, breathing, or having contact with contaminated water.
RWI's can cause a variety of symptoms, but the most common is diarrhea.
Pools use a variety of methods to sanitize their water, but the best way
to not get sick is to avoid getting the germs in the water in the first
place, and to avoid getting any live germs that may be in the pool into
your body.
Practice these safe swimming behaviors when using a
swimming pool:
Don't go swimming when you have diarrhea.
Avoid swallowing pool water or even getting it in
your mouth.
Shower before swimming and wash your hands after
using the toilet or changing diapers.
Take lots of bathroom breaks and check diapers
often.
Change diapers in a bathroom and not at poolside.
Use swim diapers for children who are not yet
potty-trained. (Swim diapers do not prevent diarrhea from
getting into the pool. Swim diapers are not a substitute for
frequent bathroom breaks.)
Here are some posters from the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Click on
the poster to enlarge. Visit the CDC website for even more
information on safe water.
www.healthyswimming.org.
How
can you help keep yourself safe?
Be smart. Study the list above and
practice safe swimming habits.
Be patient. You may have to
wait sometimes while everyone uses the bathroom and showers before
swimming or during frequent bathroom breaks. Be patient. You
can't have good times in the pool when you are sick or if someone in
your group gets sick.
Be a good sport. Don't swim
when you have diarrhea and be understanding if you can't go swimming
because someone in your family or play group has diarrhea and can't
swim. You want everyone to be safe and stay healthy.
