waterborne illness prevention

What is a waterborne illness?

Waterborne illnesses or outbreaks may result from drinking, breathing or touching water contaminated with fecal material or a toxic blue-green algae bloom. Fecal material can contain bacteria, viruses and parasitic agents. Some blue-green algae blooms are toxic to humans and animals because they produce nerve and liver toxins.

A study to determine the relationship between swimming, water quality, and incidence of illness found that swimming increases your risk of contracting respiratory ailments; gastrointestinal illness; eye, ear, and skin infections; and allergic reactions. Generally, the very old and the very young are most susceptible to waterborne illness.

What are the symptoms of waterborne illnesses?

Waterborne illness symptoms may include cramps, diarrhea, vomiting, fever, headache, and/or eye, ear and skin infections, etc., from 1 day to up to 4 weeks after being exposed. Common symptoms of swimmer’s itch include sharp burning and itching of infected skin within 5 minutes to an hour after leaving the water, and small reddish pimples within 12 hours. Symptoms of toxic blue green algae are similar to those for waterborne illness, but can also include numbness of the lips, tingling in fingers and toes, and dizziness.

Reducing the risk of contracting a waterborne illness:

• Do not drink the lake water. Although it’s probably impossible to avoid swallowing some water while swimming, the less you swallow the smaller the chance of consuming enough germs to make you sick.
• Diapered, non-toilet trained, and/or ill (e.g., diarrhea, skin infections, etc.) individuals must not go into the water. Do not go swimming if you currently have, or have had, a diarrheal illness or loose stools within the last two days.
• Thoroughly wash hands with soap and water after swimming or using the bathroom, and before handling or eating food.Many waterborne illnesses can be transmitted from hand to mouth. Washing hands with soap and water after swimming or using the bathroom is therefore recommended.
• Avoid large crowds of swimmers. The more swimmers, the higher the risk of contracting an illness because it is more likely that someone is sick and contaminating the water.
• To prevent swimmer’s itch, shower or towel dry immediately after leaving the water. Swimmer’s itch is a non-human form of schistosomiasis known as schistosome dermatitis. Migratory fowl, small mammals, and other birds carry and distribute the non-human schistosomes. Precautions should be taken by persons planning to swim at any Kitsap County lake. These include: avoiding areas with a known problem, applying a waterproof sunscreen before entering the water, showering and/or toweling off vigorously immediately upon exiting the water, and avoiding areas with heavy concentrations of aquatic weeds and waterfowl. The Health District posts public lake access areas with warning signs regarding swimmer’s itch.
  Do not feed the geese and ducks. Feeding waterfowl degrades water quality, creates an unsanitary condition on the beach and grass, and worsens the swimmer’s itch problem. Additionally, human food is hard for them to digest, and the act of feeding leads to dense bird populations - which increases the chance that disease and parasites will be passed between them.
• Consult your doctor before you swim if you have an immune deficiency. People with immune deficiency problems are at higher risk of waterborne illness even in disinfected swimming pool water.
• Immediately report blue-green algae blooms to swimming area staff and the Health District at (360) 337-5245. Blue-green algae blooms typically look like green, blue, brown or reddish-green paint floating on the water, and some produce toxins which can cause illness in humans and animals. The Health District collects samples of blue-green algae blooms and has them analyzed at a contract laboratory for potential toxicity.

Where do I report a waterborne illness?

After receiving medical attention, waterborne illnesses should be reported to the Health District’s Communicable Disease Clinic at (360) 337-5235. Cases of swimmer’s itch should be reported to the Health District’s Water Quality Program at (360) 337-5245.

For More Information:

Contact the Water Quality Program at (360) 337-5245. Additional water quality information is also available on the Health District’s 1-800-2BE-WELL (1-800-223-9355) hotline.