Parasitic Crypto outbreak may involve Ohio pools as well as NKY

The Northern Kentucky Health Department said there are likely more cases as it investigates an outbreak of Cryptosporidiosis, better known as Crypto . And some of them are on the Ohio side of the river as well.

The Cryptosporidium parasite causes gastrointestinal illness. As of Friday afternoon, there were a dozen confirmed and "numerous" probable cases.

Spokesman Skip Tate said in an email Monday that health department officials expect the number of cases could increase significantly. He said official numbers have not changed, but since Friday the epidemiology department has been bombarded by calls from people reporting being sick.

People reporting symptoms since the health department's initial report said they attended several public pools on both sides of the river.

About half of the confirmed cases reported Friday are associated with Silverlake Water Park in Erlanger. The health department praised Silverlake's response.

"Super-chlorinating the water would typically kill almost anything, and may kill a lot of Crypto spores, but Crypto is very hard to kill so it's not 100 percent effective," he said.

"If someone has Crypto or not can only be confirmed after a test, and those tests usually take 24-48 hours to send to a lab and get back," Tate said.

What are cryptosporidiosis symptoms?

The Cryptosporidium parasite causes gastrointestinal illness marked by abdominal cramps, watery diarrhea, low-grade fever, vomiting and nausea.

Silverlake Water Park statement about Cryptosporidium outbreak

A Silverlake representative issued this statement about the outbreak and the water park's response on Monday and urged people to follow the health department's guidelines:

"We are aware of the recent Cryptosporidium (Crypto) outbreak that has impacted multiple pools in the Northern Kentucky area. Crypto is a fecal-oral spread parasite that can live in liquid, soil and on hard surfaces. Health and safety is our top priority at Silverlake and we are taking all the possible steps to ensure the pool is safe for our members, staff and guests," the statement said.

"Following the notification of the first case by the Health Department, we immediately took action to close and clean our pool. Members were notified via social media that the pool would be closing for sanitation. We closed the pool by 5 p.m. at which time we followed the protocols of the Northern Kentucky Health Department with a process called super chlorination to kill Crypto.

"The Silverlake pool was over super chlorinated to ensure the levels were well beyond what is necessary to kill Crypto. Once this process was complete and chlorine levels returned to safe levels, we were cleared by the Health Department to reopen the pool. This process took over 42 hours to complete. The outdoor pool was closed from 5 p.m. on August 9th and reopened at 11 a.m. on Aug. 11.

"In addition to the steps we are taking, we encourage all participants to practice good hygiene.

"We "are working closely with the Northern Kentucky Health Department to monitor the situation and will provide any additional updates as necessary. For more on Crypto visit, https://www.cdc.gov/cryptosporidium/about/ ."

More: Invisible danger could be lurking in the water: How to stay safe this summer

Health department guidelines regarding Cryptosporidium

The Northern Kentucky Health Department recommends the following steps as preventative measures to limit exposure to Crypto:

• Individuals who currently have diarrhea, or have had diarrhea in the last two weeks, should not use swimming pools, spray pads, or hot tubs. Individuals with Crypto should not use swimming facilities until at least two weeks after symptoms subside.
• Make every attempt not to swallow pool water.
• Practice good hygiene. Shower before swimming and wash your hands and children’s hands, after using the toilet or changing diapers. Wash your child thoroughly, especially the rear end with soap and water before swimming.
• Take your child on bathroom breaks or check diapers often.
• Change diapers in a bathroom, not poolside or on the deck premises.
• It is recommended not to allow children who are not potty-trained to be in the pool. Even diapers and swimmies are not effective in preventing Crypto transmission into pool water if the child is infected.

Reporter Betsy Kim contributed.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Parasitic Crypto outbreak may involve Ohio pools as well as NKY