It’s every parent’s nightmare. You child is throwing up, has diarrhea, and is running a fever. The doctor tells you no dairy and instructs you to follow the BRAT diet – banana, rice, applesauce, and toast and to add in electrolytes for good measure. Easier said than done because your child does not want to eat or drink anything.

All this stress gets you thinking; in the last couple of weeks what was your child exposed to? Preschool. Check. Large crowds. Check. Pool. Check.

Yup, I said it. A public pool! It hadn’t dawned on me until this morning. I walk downstairs after waking up and my husband tells me that the Today show had a segment on pool water causing diarrhea in children. Ugh. I don’t like public pools. I never have. I remember my cousin getting an awful stomach infection when we were in Spain. She had gone swimming and I chose not to. I was only 11, but it obviously made an impact. To this day public pools make me nervous. How do I really know they were properly cared for?

The CDC states, “Diarrhea and swimming don’t mix! Diarrhea is the most common recreational water illness (RWI). Swimmers who are sick with diarrhea—or who have been sick in the last two weeks—risk contaminating pool water with germs”.

What does this tell us? Parents, if your child is sick or has been sick with diarrhea, please do not let them go swimming. Not only are you putting them at risk, you are putting others at risk too. It’s not fair to others wanting to stay cool in this heat. Keep them home, hydrated, and wash their hands often.

I’ll never know exactly where my daughter caught her gastro virus. All I can do now is continue to play Russian roulette with Gatorade, hoping to settle on a flavor she likes.

Stay Healthy!

Marucci