Workers at Campbell County Splash Park behind Wilder City Hall got a crash course on the cryptovirus on Friday. Workers spent hours disinfecting hard surfaces and flushing the park's pipes with 10 times the usual amount of chlorine. All to remove any traces of the diarrheal disease that's suddenly on many people's minds. “The long name is Cryptosporidium. But the short name is crypto. It's basically a parasite,” said Steve Devine. Devine is director of the Northern Kentucky Health Department's environmental health and safety division. Test results showed 31 people were infected as of Friday afternoon, with more on the way, Devine said. “Right now, overall, it's a pretty small outbreak, but these kind of things can change quickly, so we're trying to be as aggressive as we can to make sure it doesn't get worse,” Devine said. People with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and daycare children are especially susceptible to the cryptovirus, as are swimmers, he said. In pools where the spores are present, “it only takes a tiny bit to infect the whole pool,” Devine said. With temperatures expected to soar to nearly 30 degrees Fahrenheit this weekend, Devine knows there will be plenty of families wanting to cool off at their favorite watering holes. In that case, Devine recommends frequent hand-washing. Parents should change babies' diapers in the bathrooms, not poolside. Swimmers should also try not to swallow water, even if it's chlorinated, he said. “At least we're nearing the end of the outdoor pool season, which might be a little bit of a blessing,” Devine said. “But we're not saying you can't swim. Just remember the people around you who are swimming, hope they're following the guidelines, and do your best to avoid getting water in your mouth and swallowing it.” Northern Kentucky health officials aren't the only ones monitoring cases of cryptosporidium infections. The same thing is happening across the Ohio River in Hamilton County, where public health experts said Friday there was a possibility of “rapid and widespread contamination.” For more information from Hamilton County Public Health, click here.
Wilder, Kentucky —
Workers at the splash park behind Wilder City Hall in Campbell County got a crash course in cryptocurrency on Friday.
They spent hours disinfecting hard surfaces and pumping 10 times the usual amount of chlorine into the park's pipes, all in an effort to remove any traces of the diarrheal disease that has suddenly gripped so many people.
“The long name is Cryptosporidium. The short name is crypto. It's basically a parasite,” Steve Devine said.
Devine is director of the Northern Kentucky Department of Health's Environmental Health and Safety Division.
Test results showed 31 people were infected as of Friday afternoon, with more cases possible, Devine said.
“So far, overall, the spread has been pretty small, but these sorts of things can change quickly, so we're trying to be as aggressive as we can to make sure it doesn't get any worse,” Devine said.
He said people with weakened immune systems, pregnant women and nursery children were particularly vulnerable to the cryptovirus, as were people who swim in pools where the spores were present.
“It only takes a tiny bit to contaminate the entire pool,” Devine said.
With temperatures expected to reach nearly 90 degrees this weekend, Devine knows many families will want to cool off at their favorite watering holes.
If so, Devine recommends washing your hands frequently. Parents should change their babies' diapers in the bathrooms rather than poolside. Swimmers should also try not to swallow the water, even if it's chlorinated, Devine says.
“At least the outdoor pool season is coming to an end, which might be a little bit of a blessing,” Devine said, “But I'm not saying you can't swim, just be mindful of the people around you when you do swim and hope they're following the guidelines and do your best to avoid getting water in your mouth and swallowing it.”
Northern Kentucky health officials aren't the only ones monitoring cases of cryptocurrency. The same thing is happening across the Ohio River in Hamilton County, where a public health expert said Friday there was a possibility of “rapid and widespread contamination.” For more information on the Hamilton County Public Health Department, click here.
