Water Borne Infections Can Withstand Chemical Treatments
Water borne infections are no joke. I just came across this blog post: 5 Diseases You Can Catch in a Swimming Pool or Hot Tub and it reminded me of the time my wife contracted hot tub folliculitis.
We had been holidaying with friends in Spain where we had the use of a communal swimming pool and hot tub. We’d spent most of our holiday either travelling and sightseeing or on the beach, but decided to spend the last day resting and thought that a soak in the hot tub would be a good way to unwind a little. Within 48 hours my wife’s underarm areas had developed itchy red blotches that quickly became swollen as the itchiness became almost unbearable. Out G.P. prescribed something to alleviate the itchiness and told us that we needed to contact the hot tub owners and others who had shared the tub with us.
I’ve since learned of many water borne infections and parasites that can withstand normal anti-bacterial water treatments. Cryptosporidiosis, for example, is a diarroheal disease caused by microscopic parasites that have protective outer shells that enable the parasite to survive chlorine based disinfectants.
What can you do to avoid infection? Stay out of shared pools and buy your own is what I suggest. At least that way you can be sure that the water treatment has been carried out correctly.
