Waterborne Parasite Cryptosporidium Outbreak Hits the US West
Pastor Dale Morgan
Waterborne Parasite Cryptosporidium Outbreak Hits the US West*
By REBECCA BOONE,
Associated Press Writer AP
BOISE, Idaho - Nearly 230 Idaho residents have been sickened by a
waterborne parasite this year, along with hundreds of others across the
Rocky Mountain West, health officials said. The cryptosporidium outbreak
has reached record numbers, Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
spokesman Tom Shanahan said, and has federal officials looking at the
role water parks and public pools play in spreading the diarrhea-causing
parasite.
Since 1995, Idaho has averaged about 23 cryptosporidium cases a year,
said Dr. Randall Nett, an epidemic intelligence officer with Idaho's
Health and Welfare Department. But this year, 229 cases have been
reported, the vast majority in the Boise and Meridian areas.
Nearby Utah has been even harder hit, with more than 1,600 illnesses
attributed to cryptosporidium so far this year, Utah Department of
Health epidemiologist Diane Raccasi said. Colorado and other Western
states have also reported increases, Nett said.
"It's a record year by a long way," said Nett. "There's probably going
to have to be some research done to determine if it was weather,
rainfall, runoff or other things contributing to the outbreak."
But at least one popular summer pastime is a contributing factor, health
officials believe: Splash parks and other recreational water parks can
offer the hardy parasite the opportunity to rapidly spread from person
to person.
Splash parks are often a feature of city parks, and are popular with
younger children because they require no swimming skills. Instead of a
pool, water sprays up from spouts in the ground, somewhat like a
glorified sprinkler system. Many parks also feature water guns or water
slides.
But at parks where water is recirculated, the spray can rinse any
contamination _ whether from diarrhea, vomit or dirt _ down into a water
holding area and back up through the water spouts, according to the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
"Unfortunately, there's no national pool code to regulate how these
splash pads are designed, so the CDC is working with a consortium of
scientists to come up with a model pool code," similar to what the Food
and Drug Administration created for food, Nett said.
"To prevent outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis, change is needed in the way
we build and operate the nation's disinfected recreational water
facilities," the CDC wrote in a report earlier this summer. "Key changes
call for the inclusion of new supplementary disinfection measures that
kill the parasite ... and existing chlorine disinfection."
Cryptosporidium can survive for up to a year in the right conditions,
Raccasi said. People infected with the parasite get symptoms ranging
from watery diarrhea, abdominal cramps, fever, nausea and vomiting. The
illness can last for as long as a month. An infected person can spread
the parasite through water or through contact with changing tables or
bathroom fixtures, or during diaper changes, according to the CDC.
Splash parks and pools have been indicated in Utah's outbreak, Raccasi
said, and most of Idaho's cryptosporidium cases have originated at a
Meridian city splash park, Shanahan reported. The splash park in
Meridian, like many others, uses chlorine to keep its water clean, but
the cryptosporidium parasite has a hard outer shell that allows it to
survive even in properly chlorinated water.
Meridian officials are considering adding ultraviolet light
decontamination to the splash park, said city communications director
Shelly Houston, because the UV light is more effective at killing hardy
contaminants.
"Our splash pad is meticulously maintained. It's brand new and it's
really been our baby so we've been paying close attention to chemical
precautions and disinfecting techniques," Houston said.
"It's been a good learning experience for all of us. You can't help but
think of those little children playing in their diapers or their mamas
changing diapers on nearby picnic tables, and realize the importance of
good hygiene and handwashing."
In general, water poses a high risk for transmitting cryptosporidium,
which can live in human and animal fecal matter, Raccasi said. Young
children, especially those in diapers, can easily contaminate pools and
splash parks, she said.
"I don't want to say that splash parks aren't safe, they just have some
variables for decontamination that make them a higher risk," Raccasi
said. "Combine that with the fact that they're attracting more children
between the ages of zero to four years old _ and that's the age group
that has the most difficulty controlling their bowels _ and it makes
decontamination more complicated."