Prevent Swimming-Related Illnesses and Injuries

Here are some key things you can do to reduce your risk of illness and injury and make your trip to the beach safe and pleasant for your family:

• Avoid large crowds of bathers. The larger the number of swimmers, the higher the risk of illness transmission.
• Don’t swallow swimming water. It’s probably impossible to avoid swallowing some water while swimming, but the less you swallow, the less likely you’ll consume enough to make you sick.
• After swimming, wash your hands before eating.
• Avoid areas where there is animal waste or obvious sources of pollution nearby, such as sewage discharge or stormwater pipes, or other obvious sources of pollution nearby. There are many bacteria, viruses and parasites that cause disease in humans that can be spread by fecal waste from wild and domestic animals, and humans.
• Protect yourself from swimmer’s itch. Avoid swimming in areas where there is evidence of ducks and geese. Apply a good waterproof sunscreen prior to entering the water. And use a towel to dry off immediately after swimming.
• Prevent drowning. Know where safety equipment, such as ring buoys and reaching poles, are located. Make sure personal floatation devices are available and are worn when boating. These are especially important for persons using canoes, inflatable boats, jet skis, and other powerboats. Carefully supervise young children and poor swimmers when near the water.
• Avoid swimming in areas where there are obvious algae blooms. Some blue-green algae produce toxins, which have caused illness in pets and livestock. Keep children and pets out of the water when an algae bloom is present.

Enjoy! ;-)