A dip in the public pool or local lake may boost people's risks of catching a case of stomach flu and gastroenteritis.
A dip in the public pool or local lake may boost people's risks of catching a case of stomach flu and gastroenteritis.
Gastroenteritis refers to inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract caused by viral, bacterial or parasitic infection. The symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. Contaminated food and drinking water are common sources of infection, and recreational swimming has been linked to outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness. But the extent to which swimming, in different types of venues, raises the odds of gastroenteritis has been less clear.
To investigate the relation between gastroenteritis and recreational swimming, researchers followed 2811 people from Melbourne, Australia for 15 months. The researchers used data regarding the participants' swimming activities, illnesses, medication use and travel from their diaries. Over the study period, there were nearly 2,700 cases of probable gastroenteritis, affecting half of the study participants.
Participants' gastroenteritis risk was about one-quarter higher in the one to two weeks after a visit to a public pool or spa, versus other weeks. The risks went up 77 percent, on average, in the week after a swim in a river or lake, while a similar increase was seen among adults who had taken an ocean dip in the past two weeks.
The findings confirm that swimming in fresh, salt or treated waters can pose a risk of gastroenteritis. Still, the investigators are not advising people to retire their swimming trunks. But the findings point to the need for prevention efforts in all types of swimming settings.
Gastroenteritis refers to inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract caused by viral, bacterial or parasitic infection. The symptoms include abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhoea and fever. Contaminated food and drinking water are common sources of infection, and recreational swimming has been linked to outbreaks of gastrointestinal illness. But the extent to which swimming, in different types of venues, raises the odds of gastroenteritis has been less clear.
To investigate the relation between gastroenteritis and recreational swimming, researchers followed 2811 people from Melbourne, Australia for 15 months. The researchers used data regarding the participants' swimming activities, illnesses, medication use and travel from their diaries. Over the study period, there were nearly 2,700 cases of probable gastroenteritis, affecting half of the study participants.
Participants' gastroenteritis risk was about one-quarter higher in the one to two weeks after a visit to a public pool or spa, versus other weeks. The risks went up 77 percent, on average, in the week after a swim in a river or lake, while a similar increase was seen among adults who had taken an ocean dip in the past two weeks.
The findings confirm that swimming in fresh, salt or treated waters can pose a risk of gastroenteritis. Still, the investigators are not advising people to retire their swimming trunks. But the findings point to the need for prevention efforts in all types of swimming settings.
COMMENT
DoctorNDTV is the one stop site for all your health needs providing the most credible health information, health news and tips with expert advice on healthy living, diet plans, informative videos etc. You can get the most relevant and accurate info you need about health problems like diabetes, cancer, pregnancy, HIV and AIDS, weight loss and many other lifestyle diseases. We have a panel of over 350 experts who help us develop content by giving their valuable inputs and bringing to us the latest in the world of healthcare.
