Recreational Water Illnesses

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“Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, or oceans. RWIs can also be caused by chemicals in the water or chemicals that evaporate from the water and cause indoor air quality problems. RWIs may include a wide variety of infections, including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic and wound infections. Many RWIs (skin, ear, eye, respiratory, neurologic, wound, and other infections) are caused by germs that live naturally in the environment (for example, in water and soil)” (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
There are many types of recreational water illnesses such as diarrhea, cryptosporidium, giardia, hot tub rash, legionella, swimmers ear, methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus MRSA, and pinworm. Contributors to recreational water illnesses include, feces, unfiltered water, diaper-aged children (newborns through at least age 4), sewage spills, animal waste, water runoff (following a rainfall), and swallowing recreational water (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). This mainly affects children, pregnant women and people with a compromised immune system.
Swimmers ear medically known as acute otitis externa, results in an estimated 2.4 million health care visits every year, and nearly half a billion dollars in health care costs (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). “Although acute otitis externa generally is a mild illness, it is a frequently diagnosed condition responsible for a substantial health-care burden, with estimated costs of $0.5 billion and nearly 600,000 hour...

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...e of them and we can take preventive measures. With making people more aware of the illnesses by keeping them safe and letting them have an enjoyable time doing what they love to do in recreational water.

Work Cited:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/rwi-what.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/rwi-where.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/fast_facts.html Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/illnesses/swimmers-ear-prevention-guidelines.html#one Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Retrieved from
http://www.cdc.gov/parasites/crypto/epi.html

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