Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCommon SymptomsRoutes of InfectionTreatment & Prevention
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Common Symptoms
Routes of Infection
Treatment & Prevention
Swimming is usually safe, but there is a small chance you can get sick from swimming in unclean or contaminated water. Recreational water illness (RWI) describes the many waterborne infections that can affect different organs in your body. The most common symptom isdiarrhea.
Since the 1980s, there has been a steep increase in the reported cases of RWIs due in part to pollution, growing populations around bodies of water, and even climate change.Anyone involved in recreational water activities should be aware of the risk.
This article explains the causes and symptoms of recreational water illness, as well as how the infections are treated and prevented.
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Some of the more common symptoms of RWIs include:
Pseudomonas: How Serious Is Bacterial Infection?
How Recreational Water Illnesses Are Contracted
RWIs occur when you accidentally swallow or inhale contaminated water or get contaminated water into your ears or nostrils. The waterborne pathogen can also sometimes enter the body through cuts or sores or through prolonged exposure to the skin.
Do I Have a Chlorine Rash?
RWIs are not usually spread from person to person through touching, kissing, or most sexual contact. Rashes from hot tubs and swimming pools are generally not contagious.
What Is Chlorine Rash?
Treatment
The treatment of RWIs can vary on whether the pathogen is a bacteria, virus, or parasite. To ensure the correct treatment, the healthcare provider may need to perform tests to help narrow the possible causes.
Bacterial RWIs can be treated withantibiotics, while parasitic RWIs may be treated with a combination ofantiparasitic drugsand antibiotics.Others (like norovirus) will go away on their own and only require supportive care to reduce diarrhea or preventdehydration.
Swimmer’s ear can be treated withantibiotic ear dropsor acetic acid ear drops.
In some cases, the cause of an RWI may be presumed if there has been a local outbreak (such as withGiardiaorCryptosporidium)or you’ve traveled to an area where diseases like cholera or typhoid are common. In cases like these, treatment may be started presumptively while tests are performed to confirm the infection type.
Prevention
Prevention is important to decrease the number of other people who get RWIs in addition to your chances of getting one.
Some RWIs, like swimmer’s ear and hot tub folliculitis, are easier to prevent than others. Others require concerted measures to reduce your risk, including the use of vaccines to preventtropical diseaseslike cholera and typhoid fever.
There are everyday practices that can help you avoid RWIs:
If you think you have gotten sick from swimming, see a healthcare provider as soon as possible.
What to Do If You Have Traveler’s Diarrhea
Summary
If you experience symptoms like these after swimming in a natural or man-made body of water, see a healthcare provider for the proper diagnosis and treatment.
A Word From Verywell
Based on the country you are going to, you may need to be vaccinated or provided prophylaxis (preventive) medications to avoid waterborne, mosquito-borne, or foodborne infections weeks in advance of your departure.
7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Recreational water illness.Fewtrell L, Kay D.Recreational water and infection: a review of recent findings.Curr Environ Health Rep.2015;2(1):85–94. doi:10.1007/s40572-014-0036-6Perkins A, Trimmier M.Recreational waterborne illnesses: recognition, treatment, and prevention.Am Fam Physician. 2017 May 1;95(9):554-60.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Norovirus.Wiegand S, Berner R, Schneider A, Lundershausen E, Dietz A.Otitis Externa.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(13):224-234. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0224Kappagoda S, Ioannidis JPA.Prevention and control of neglected tropical diseases: overview of randomized trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Bull World Health Organ.2014 May 1;92(5):356–66C. doi:10.2471/BLT.13.129601Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.Recreational water illnesses.
7 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Recreational water illness.Fewtrell L, Kay D.Recreational water and infection: a review of recent findings.Curr Environ Health Rep.2015;2(1):85–94. doi:10.1007/s40572-014-0036-6Perkins A, Trimmier M.Recreational waterborne illnesses: recognition, treatment, and prevention.Am Fam Physician. 2017 May 1;95(9):554-60.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Norovirus.Wiegand S, Berner R, Schneider A, Lundershausen E, Dietz A.Otitis Externa.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(13):224-234. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0224Kappagoda S, Ioannidis JPA.Prevention and control of neglected tropical diseases: overview of randomized trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Bull World Health Organ.2014 May 1;92(5):356–66C. doi:10.2471/BLT.13.129601Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.Recreational water illnesses.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Recreational water illness.Fewtrell L, Kay D.Recreational water and infection: a review of recent findings.Curr Environ Health Rep.2015;2(1):85–94. doi:10.1007/s40572-014-0036-6Perkins A, Trimmier M.Recreational waterborne illnesses: recognition, treatment, and prevention.Am Fam Physician. 2017 May 1;95(9):554-60.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Norovirus.Wiegand S, Berner R, Schneider A, Lundershausen E, Dietz A.Otitis Externa.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(13):224-234. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0224Kappagoda S, Ioannidis JPA.Prevention and control of neglected tropical diseases: overview of randomized trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Bull World Health Organ.2014 May 1;92(5):356–66C. doi:10.2471/BLT.13.129601Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.Recreational water illnesses.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Recreational water illness.
Fewtrell L, Kay D.Recreational water and infection: a review of recent findings.Curr Environ Health Rep.2015;2(1):85–94. doi:10.1007/s40572-014-0036-6
Perkins A, Trimmier M.Recreational waterborne illnesses: recognition, treatment, and prevention.Am Fam Physician. 2017 May 1;95(9):554-60.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Norovirus.
Wiegand S, Berner R, Schneider A, Lundershausen E, Dietz A.Otitis Externa.Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2019;116(13):224-234. doi:10.3238/arztebl.2019.0224
Kappagoda S, Ioannidis JPA.Prevention and control of neglected tropical diseases: overview of randomized trials, systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Bull World Health Organ.2014 May 1;92(5):356–66C. doi:10.2471/BLT.13.129601
Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology.Recreational water illnesses.
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