Crypto Parasite Could Be In Your Swimming Pool And It Will Make You Sick As Hell

A parasite that is found in swimming pools and potentially even places like splash pads could make you and your family pretty sick. The Centers for Disease Control has put out a warning about the crypto parasite and you need to know a few things about it.

Crypto is a fecal parasite. If a person or animal has crypto they shed it in their poop. Swallowing as few as 10 crypto germs from water in a swimming pool, lake, or even a fountain can give you watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, vomiting, fever, and cause dehydration and weight loss. If a person or animal is infected with crypto, they can shed up to a million crypto germs in a single bowel movement, so just make sure your pool is chlorinated, right?

Wrong. Crypto has a high tolerance to chlorine and can survive in a properly chlorinated pool for up to seven days. That means that if crypto is present, if you swallow that water, chances are pretty good that you might get sick. The good news is that only one death has been attributed to crypto in recent years, but it will get you really sick.

Symptoms of crypto generally begin 2 to 10 days after becoming infected with the parasite. The best thing to do is make sure that you don't swallow water when you're swimming. The other thing is, of course, don't go in the water if you have diarrhea for any reason. Click here for some preventative measures you can take against crypto.