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GARFIELD COUNTY, Colorado (KKTV) – Health officials alert the public to a pool-related parasite outbreak at Glenwood Hot Springs Resort.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Garfield County Department of Public Health are investigating reported cases of cryptosporidiosis. Four confirmed cases of microscopic parasite at the origin of diarrheal disease.
Health officials believe that these cases are related to people who have visited the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort's pool since mid-August of this year.
Although this parasite can spread in many different ways, water (drinking water and recreational water) is the most common means of spreading the parasite.
INDIVIDUAL SYMPTOMS AND PRECAUTIONS:
• The average incubation period is seven days and ranges from two to ten days.
• Symptoms include watery diarrhea, abdominal pain / cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever and weight loss. Symptoms usually last from one to two weeks. People with weakened immune systems may have more severe and prolonged symptoms.
• Most people with healthy immune systems recover without treatment.
• People with compromised immune systems should consult a health care provider.
People with signs of illness should not swim in any water during the onset of symptoms and for at least two weeks after the end of diarrhea. Immersion in the water may be sufficient to transmit the parasite to other people. Contaminated water in this way has resulted in outbreaks of cryptosporidiosis in recreational water users.
OTHER PRECAUTIONS:
• Stay home after work if you are sick.
• Avoid sexual practices that may lead to oral exposure to stools.
• Avoid close contact with anyone whose immune system is weakened.
• Children with diarrhea should be excluded from reception facilities until diarrhea has stopped for at least 24 hours.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
11 News has contacted the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort for comments and further information.
WHAT IS CRYPTO AND HOW CAN IT AFFECT?
CDC information
"Crypto" (krip-TOE), or Cryptosporidium, is a germ that causes diarrhea. This germ is found in the feces of a person infected with Crypto. It has a solid outer shell that allows it to survive for a long time in the environment. It can survive for days, even in properly chlorinated pools.
Crypto is one of the most common causes of recreational water-related illness (disease caused by pool-borne germs) in the United States and can cause prolonged diarrhea ( for one to two weeks).
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