Dr. Fast advised City officials responsible for the pool that confirmed cases of crytosporidiosis (a gastro-intestinal ailment resulting from exposure to Cryptosporidium), in two children, from a nearby rural community, have a possible link to swimming at Eldon Ross.

Dr. Fast says crypto is a tiny parasite that can live in the intestines of animals or people and is spread primarily in bowel movements.

Fast says not all people exposed to crypto will get sick, or have symptoms which can include diarrhea, stomach cramps, headache, loss of appetite, nausea, or mild fever. For people in good health, the illness may come and go for up to month and usually ends on its own.

People with severely weakened immune systems may exhibit prolonged, possibly life-threatening distress. This includes persons with HIV/AIDS, cancer, or transplant patients taking immunosuppressive drugs and people with genetically weakened immune systems.

The children with cryptosporidiosis were amongst a group of 40 children, from the rural community, 10 to 14 years old, who were bussed to the pool for ten days during the period August 13 - 24.

“When we investigate possible causes of outbreaks of any communicable disease we look for common links – things that those affected had been doing together or places they had been together,” said Dr. Fast. “ In this case the only common link we’ve identified so far is swimming at the Eldon Ross Pool.” Barry Evenson, Manager of Building Services – responsible for operation of the pool, said, “once advised of the situation we immediately closed the facility and have sent samples of pool water for testing.” He said, “we don’t know in fact if this organism is present in the pool, but we’d rather have our patrons inconvenienced than getting ill.” Eldon Ross is a seasonal facility that normally closes after September 30.

“In the interests of allowing our patrons as much possible use of the pool prior to the seasonal closing, we’ve decided that pending test results, we’ll proceed as if crypto is present and disinfect the pool.” said, Evenson. “That way if test results come back negative for crypto we can open right away.” He says “However, if test results prove positive we’ll sample again (after the disinfection) and wait for a negative test result before re-opening.” People who have used Eldon Ross Pool in the past four weeks (particularly those who are immuno-compromised) and have experienced severe diarrhea or other symptoms described above, may wish to consult their physician or call Health Links at 788-8200.

Dr. Fast advises that the best way to limit the introduction of infectious organisms into swimming pools is to follow these guidelines:

• Don’t swim when you have diarrhea – this is especially important for children in diapers. Try not to swallow pool water.
• Shower with soap before entering the pool.
• Wash your hands with soap and water after using the toilet or after changing diapers.
• Change diapers in a bathroom, not at poolside.
• Wash your child thoroughly (especially the rear end) with soap and water before swimming.