Australia sees an increase in parasitic diseases from public swimming pools

An emergency health warning has been issued for those in Victoria, Australia following an increase in cases of the highly contagious disease cryptosporidiosis.

Parasitic infection manifests as gastroenteritis, which usually comes with crampy abdominal pain, fever, watery diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.

Children are reported to be most at risk from the waterborne parasite.

There are currently 87 confirmed cases of the highly contagious disease in Victoria since January 1 as of Friday, according to the Victorian health department.

While it may not seem like a lot of people, it is already exceeding the five-year average, and cases usually increase in the warmer months.

Victoria had 2349 cases of the disease in 2024, an increase of 233 per cent from 2023.

Across Australia, the National Notifiable Disease Surveillance System confirmed cases were on the rise, going from 3716 across Australia in 2023 to 11,860 in 2024, equating to a 300 per cent increase.

While the illness is “usually mild and self-limiting” according to Victoria’s health department, chief health officer Tarun Weeramanthri said: “It’s important to remember that you remain infectious for several weeks after your diarrhea stops.

“So don’t swim until two weeks after your symptoms have stopped.

“It’s the simple steps that are most effective – showering with soap before swimming will help keep germs out of the water.

“And of course, avoid swallowing pool water if you can.

“If you think you or your child may have cryptosporidiosis, contact your doctor. The doctor will help you with the test.”

Although chlorine kills most microbes in treated public pools, Weeramanthri commented that some microbes can be highly resistant to chlorine.

For those who go swimming in public, recommendations are that people wash with soap before swimming, try to avoid swallowing pool water, and wash their hands with soap after using the toilet or changing a nappy.

This is not the first time this problem has caused chaos.

Last summer, outbreaks caused swimming pool closures in New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland.

In February last year, it was reported that NSW cases were at more than five times the five-year average, while Victorian cases rose more than 600 per cent compared to the previous year to March.

In Queensland, the numbers in February were 13 times higher than the 2023 numbers and surpassed the 2021 and 2022 annual totals.