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Nicole Gonzales reportingSummer is still a couple months away, but the Utah State Health Department already is working to try to prevent another outbreak of cryptosporidium in pools.
Last summer, more than 1,900 people in the state were diagnosed with cryptosporidium, which causes vomiting and diarrhea.
Swimming pools are not too crowded right now, but once the summer heat rolls around, pools will be crowded with people trying to seek some relief.
Last year, so many people got infected with the bug, the state had to close down fountains and regulate pools.
The health department hopes to educate people so this doesn't happen again. Dr. Robert Rolfs, with the Utah Department of Health, says, "This is a germ that's spread when somebody leaves it in the water while they're swimming, and we'd like people not to do that. And if they do it, if the pool can act quickly to clean it up, we don't have a problem."
Dr. Rolfs leads the commission on pool sanitation, and he says early detection is key.
Last summer, Rolf says the outbreak got so out of hand because they didn't detect the germ early in pools.
The health department is hoping the public can help out by taking showers before getting in a pool, not swimming if they have diarrhea, and most of all, telling a pool employee if an accident does happen.
Officials are also discussing a requirement for babies and toddlers to wear waterproof swimming diapers while in the pool. "I think there are people who think young children shouldn't be in pools, and then there are some who feel strongly that they should be there to learn how to swim. We're trying to strike a balance as much as we can to protect people but also allow children to swim," Rolf said.
He also says that some pools are looking at long-term solutions to sanitize the water like ultraviolet light and ozone.
The health department is planning to release these ideas for public comment by the beginning of April.
