The dangers lurking in the pool

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In an average pool, you can find over 30 different microbes that can cause unpleasant ailments. Apart from them, the pool water also contains sweat, saliva, dead skin as well as cosmetic remnants, urine and stool particles. All pollution can cause disease. What can you get infected in the swimming pool?

1. In addition to some microorganisms, the pool water also contains sweat, saliva, dead skin, as well as cosmetic residues and urine.
2. The water in the pool can be contaminated with dangerous fecal bacteria – Escherichia coli, trichomoniasis, various types of fungi
3. Among the ailments that may result from swimming in the pool, the most common are mycosis of the skin and nails, infection with trichomoniasis and chlamydia, and cystitis. But not only
4. More information can be found on the Onet homepage.

The water in the pool is most often contaminated with the dangerous fecal bacteria aptly named Escherichia coli. The presence of trichomoniasis and various types of fungi is common. Among the ailments that may be an unwanted gift after swimming in the pool, mycosis of the skin and nails, infection with trichomonas and chlamydia, and cystitis are the most often enumerated.

Athlete’s foot

Infection with fungi of the type of dermatophytes that affect the feet is a condition that affects 15 to 30 percent. population. Mushrooms like warm and humid places – sun-heated tiles around the pool, showers, changing rooms. Their settling on our feet is favored by damage (e.g. abrasions) to the epidermis, reduced immunity of the body and the use of antibiotics, both local and general.

The symptom of athlete’s foot is redness, itching, cracking, peeling of the epidermis between XNUMXth and XNUMXth, and then between XNUMXrd and XNUMXth toes. If the infection is not treated, the fungus will spread to the entire skin of the foot and affect the nails as well. Therefore, prophylactically, use an over-the-counter antifungal preparation after each stay in the swimming pool. If this does not help and you notice disturbing changes on your feet, be sure to go to a dermatologist who, after collecting a skin (and possibly a nail) sample, will select a preparation suitable for the fungus that has attacked you.

It is also worth remembering that around the pool, in the changing room or in the shower, we always wear plastic flip-flops that can be easily washed. After leaving the pool, rinse your feet under running water and dry them thoroughly with a towel.

1. Get your feet wet every day. You will get rid of the embarrassing problem

Chlamydia trachomatis – chlamydiosis

Contrary to popular belief, this bacterium can be infected not only during intercourse, but also in the swimming pool, because its development is favored by a humid environment.

Most infections are asymptomatic, but some people may experience vaginal discharge, burning or itching of the vagina, discomfort (slight stinging) when urinating, pain in the lumbar region, nausea, and even a fever. If there are also pains in the lower abdomen, e.g. during intercourse, or bleeding between menstruation, it is a sign that an intimate infection spreads from the cervix to the fallopian tubes. If there is pain, discharge and bleeding from the anus – this is a sign that she has moved to the rectum.

Chlamydia infection can be dangerous as it damages the structures of the sexual organ and leads to the development of an adhesion disease. A woman who is infected with chlamydia may have trouble getting or carrying on a pregnancy. In women, it causes inflammation of the appendages, and in men, it causes inflammation of the epididymides. Most people find out about the infection at the time of complications, such as miscarriage or infertility.

Chlamydia is also very dangerous to the fetus. Infection often occurs at the time of childbirth. Infections are difficult to heal, require long-term use of antibiotics, but even such a strong treatment is not always effective.

Some ladies wear a tampon before entering the swimming pool, but this is not effective, and removing a dry tampon from the vagina may chafe the mucosa. It is much more effective to use probiotics vaginally with lactobacilli, which rebuild and strengthen the physiological flora of the vagina.

Trichomoniasis infection

The main source of vaginal trichomoniasis is infection transmitted from a sexual partner. But the infection can also spread when the same towels, costumes or sponges are used, and when swimming in the pool. Trichomoniasis is equipped with cilia that make it easier for it to enter the vagina and then on to the cervix. It is not uncommon that trichomoniasis also colonize the urinary bladder and fallopian tubes.

The main symptom of infection is pain and burning in the urethra, pain when urinating, odorous discharge, frequent urination, pain in the lower abdomen, and soreness during intercourse.

Trichomoniasis infection should not be taken lightly, as it can lead to chronic (latent) vaginitis, Bartholin’s gland inflammation. The consequence of the infection may also be problems with getting pregnant, premature birth and low birth weight of the child.

1. Trichomoniasis vaginitis

Cystitis

The disease is most often caused by the fecal bacterium Escherichia coli. It does not always come from the pool water. It happens that the cause of the infection is your own bacteria in the area of ​​the urethra. These attack our body when the body’s overall immunity decreases and when antibiotics are used, by depleting the natural, protective bacterial flora.

To protect yourself from cystitis, go to the bathroom after leaving the pool to urinate, which will flush away bacteria from your intimate area. Then you need to change into a dry suit.

Drinking plenty of water or cranberry juice also protects against bladder infections. You can take over-the-counter preparations with cranberry as a preventive measure.

Vaginal mycosis

It is also called candidiasis. It is accompanied by vaginal discharge, vaginal itching and burning, labia congestion and pain intensifying at night.

Infection can occur when the body’s overall immunity is weakened. Infection is also fostered by injuries, as a result of which the continuity of the tissues that make up the mucous membranes is interrupted. But the cause of candidiasis can also be non-compliance with hygiene and imbalance of the bacterial flora.

Underwear made of synthetic fibers favors infection, so avoid sitting in a wet bathing suit. A complication of the infection may be vaginitis, inflammation of the cervix and appendages. The disease can also spread to the groin, anus, urethra, and in extreme cases – to the internal organs.

1. Vaginitis – causes, treatment

Bacterial vaginosis

The cause of infection is anaerobic bacteria. This is one of the most common vaginal and vulvar infections called bacterial vaginosis (BV). It develops when the vaginal microflora is disturbed (lack of vaginal lactobacilli, as a result of which the pH is too high), and consists in the rapid multiplication of anaerobic bacteria.

A characteristic symptom of infection is whitish or grayish discharge with an unpleasant odor. vaginal itching and burning, and sometimes also a stabbing pain in the lower abdomen. Complication of untreated vaginosis may be endometritis, appendicitis, recurrent urinary tract infections, and soft tissue infections.

In many women, the infection may be asymptomatic, which is dangerous for women who are expecting a babyas the disease can lead to premature birth, breakage of amniotic fluid, intrauterine infections and even miscarriages.

Owsica

Swimming in the pool may end up infected with pinworms. Pinworms live in the small intestine and the final section of the large intestine. Adult specimens go to the outside with the faeces. Female pinworms secrete a substance that causes severe itching in the anus. While scratching, we put pinworm eggs under the nails and then into the water.

It is not true that pinworms are only dangerous to children. Anyone can become infected. It also happens that anal pruritus is less common in adults, so there is no signal that we are carrying parasites. Pinworm infection requires specialized treatment.

1. An extreme holiday QUIZ. Parasites that you catch while on vacation

Foot warts

All warts are caused by the human papillomavirus (HPV), which has many varieties. Each virus produces a different type of wart, such as regular, flat, and mosaic warts. The papillomavirus cannot be grown in laboratories on artificial media. That is why it is still the subject of scientific research.

The human papillomavirus, depending on the type and site of infection, can cause many different diseases within the skin and mucous membranes – both in the mouth and genitals. In the swimming pool, the feet are most often infected and the so-called wart. Young warts are almost invisible and spread very easily by touch. Over time, they grow up to 2-3 cm in diameter.

You can get infected with warts through contact with an infected person, using a shared towel, household items, but also in the swimming pool, sauna or solarium, changing rooms, wherever a lot of people pass by. The paddling pool is a true paradise for viruses in the pool, which you have to cross when entering the pool.

In dermatological offices, warts are removed by freezing them with liquid nitrogen or by curettage. Before that, however, the wart should be softened. Usually it is enough to cover it with salicylic ointment and cover it with a plaster without a dressing. Small warts can be removed using an electrocoagulant. If these methods fail, bleomycin is injected into the wart outbreak – the procedure is painful but effective in treating warts resistant to other methods.

Food poisoning

In the swimming pool, it is easy to get infected with one of the bacteria or viruses that cause food infections. Escherichia coli, which lives in the final section of the human colon, is one of such microorganisms. It goes to water with feces and secretions.

The infection is manifested by severe diarrhea and abdominal pain. Rotavirus infection can also develop in swimming pools and other public places, causing severe vomiting and diarrhea, leading to dangerous, especially for children and the elderly, dehydration.

Conjunctivitis

For many years it was believed that the cause of conjunctivitis that appeared after swimming in a swimming pool was chlorinated water. It turned out, however, that it is not chlorine that is responsible for them, but urine and sweat. It is also known, as demonstrated by researchers from the United States, that the characteristic odor in closed pools is not caused by chlorination of water, but by the release of compounds formed when chlorine combines with dirt, sweat and urine. So if you want to avoid conjunctivitis, it’s best to wear glasses.

Finally, it is worth adding that the whole body should be washed before entering the pool water. Sanepid and management of the baths also care for safety. Daily ozonation or chlorination of water prevents unwanted inhabitants from developing in it. Unfortunately, we cannot always protect ourselves from them.

Text: Anna Jarosz

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