Outbreaks resulted in 10,611 cases, 152 hospitalizations, 99 visits to emergency departments, but no deaths
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, Dec. 4, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Sixty waterborne disease outbreaks associated with splash pads were reported during 1997 to 2022, according to research published in the Dec. 5 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Hannah Lawinger, M.P.H., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues characterize splash pad-associated waterborne disease outbreaks reported to the CDC that occurred during 1997 to 2022.
The researchers identified 60 waterborne disease outbreaks associated with splash pads that were reported during 1997 to 2022 by public health officials from 23 states and Puerto Rico. The outbreaks resulted in 10,611 cases, 152 hospitalizations, and 99 visits to the emergency department; however, there were no reports of deaths. Forty outbreaks were confirmed to be causal, in part, by Cryptosporidium; these resulted in 91 and 81 percent of cases and hospitalizations, respectively. Seventy-three percent of emergency department visits resulted from two outbreaks suspected to be caused by norovirus.
“Although splash pads can create an opportunity for pathogen transmission, particularly to young children, outbreaks associated with splash pads are preventable,” the authors write. “Public health officials and the aquatics sector can use the findings in this report to promote the prevention of splash pad-associated outbreaks (e.g., recommended user behaviors) and guide the construction, operation, and management of splash pads.”
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