Pools, hot tubs, and water playgrounds are great places to have fun, be active, or just relax. In fact, swimming is one of the most popular sports activities in the US. Just 2.5 hours of physical activity per week, including water-based activity, has health benefits, no matter our age, says the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

As with any form of physical activity, we maximise the health benefits of swimming when we each do our part to minimise the chance of illness and injury.

Swimming is a great way to stay healthy and spend time with family and friends, So it’s important not to swim or let your kids swim if they have diarrhoea. Just one diarrhoeal incident in the water can release millions of diarrhoea-causing germs like Crypto (short for Cryptosporidium) etc. This can make other swimmers sick if they swallow a mouthful of contaminated water.

Most germs are killed within minutes by common pool disinfectants like chlorine or bromine, but Crypto can survive in properly chlorinated water for more than seven days. This is why Crypto is the leading cause of outbreaks linked to swimming in the US.

Practising healthy swimming is important too. Whether in the pool, tub/spa or water playground, we can protect ourselves and our loved ones from germs by following simple but effective steps like taking kids on bathroom breaks every hour etc; shower before you get in the water. Rinsing off in the shower for just one minute helps get rid of any germs that might be on your body. Staying safe in and around the water is important, too. Don’t forget sun safety and drowning prevention. Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional injury death among children 1–14 years old. In fact, drowning kills more young children 1–4 years old than anything else except birth defects.

Source: CDC

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