CDC warns fecal parasite found in public pools is on the rise

Author: Yaron Steinbuch

Americans who enjoy taking a dip in public pools to cool off during the summer face the danger of encountering “crypto,” a diarrhea-causing fecal parasite that is on the rise, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Cryptosporidium — which causes cryptosporidiosis — can lead to “profuse, watery diarrhea” among healthy adults that can last as long as three weeks.

“The number of treated recreational water-associated outbreaks caused by cryptosporidium drives the summer seasonal peak in both waterborne cryptosporidiosis outbreaks and cryptosporidiosis outbreaks overall,” according to the CDC, which released a report Friday.
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Although the bug’s almost never fatal, one death has been reported since 2009 — while 287 people were hospitalized between 2009 and 2017, according to the CDC, which found that the US has experienced a 13 percent spike in crypto outbreaks per year over time.

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