Dermatitis Outbreaks in Hotel Hot Tubs and Swimming Pools
Dermatitis Outbreaks in Hotel Hot Tubs and Swimming Pools
Dec. 7, 2000 -- Relaxing in the hotel hot tub ... getting a few laps in the swimming pool ... sounds good after a tough day on the sightseeing or conference circuit? But a new CDC report says beware of the water you're stepping into -- and it's not due to E. coli this time. There's another bacterium showing up in those waters, and it's causing skin rashes and outer ear infections.
During the last year, outbreaks of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa were reported in swimming pools and hot tubs in Colorado and Maine, says Michael Beach, PhD, an epidemiologist with the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases.
Although the report cites only three incidents in two locations, "Every year, we see a handful of these outbreaks across the U.S.," Beach tells WebMD. "Really, they can happen anywhere.
"Most folks tend to think of those happening in the '80s, but it still happens on a regular basis," says Beach. "The bottom-line message is that these outbreaks shouldn't be happening. They can be prevented if pool operators simply maintain the pools and hot tubs the way that they're regulated at the state and local level."
One Colorado incident -- which occurred in February 1999 -- involved 15 adults and children who developed a skin rash after using the same hotel pool and hot tub. Among them were people attending two different birthday parties and local residents who were using the pool on a pay-to-swim basis.
Another 25 local residents who used the same pool and/or hot tub in the same month also developed rashes; of those, 14 had a "more severe illness" that lasted more than six weeks, the CDC report says. An inspection of the pool and hot tub showed that the bacteria were on the hot tub hand rail and in the filter. Inspectors also found that chlorine levels in the pool and hot tub had dropped below state-required levels for 69 hours during the contamination period.
"The decline in pool chlorine was the result of a faulty chlorine pellet dispenser; also hotel staff did not perform routine onsite water testing for either the pool or the hot tub," says the report.
Dermatitis Outbreaks in Hotel Hot Tubs and Swimming Pools
Dec. 7, 2000 -- Relaxing in the hotel hot tub ... getting a few laps in the swimming pool ... sounds good after a tough day on the sightseeing or conference circuit? But a new CDC report says beware of the water you're stepping into -- and it's not due to E. coli this time. There's another bacterium showing up in those waters, and it's causing skin rashes and outer ear infections.
During the last year, outbreaks of the bacteria Pseudomonas aeruginosa were reported in swimming pools and hot tubs in Colorado and Maine, says Michael Beach, PhD, an epidemiologist with the CDC's National Center for Infectious Diseases.
Although the report cites only three incidents in two locations, "Every year, we see a handful of these outbreaks across the U.S.," Beach tells WebMD. "Really, they can happen anywhere.
"Most folks tend to think of those happening in the '80s, but it still happens on a regular basis," says Beach. "The bottom-line message is that these outbreaks shouldn't be happening. They can be prevented if pool operators simply maintain the pools and hot tubs the way that they're regulated at the state and local level."
One Colorado incident -- which occurred in February 1999 -- involved 15 adults and children who developed a skin rash after using the same hotel pool and hot tub. Among them were people attending two different birthday parties and local residents who were using the pool on a pay-to-swim basis.
Another 25 local residents who used the same pool and/or hot tub in the same month also developed rashes; of those, 14 had a "more severe illness" that lasted more than six weeks, the CDC report says. An inspection of the pool and hot tub showed that the bacteria were on the hot tub hand rail and in the filter. Inspectors also found that chlorine levels in the pool and hot tub had dropped below state-required levels for 69 hours during the contamination period.
"The decline in pool chlorine was the result of a faulty chlorine pellet dispenser; also hotel staff did not perform routine onsite water testing for either the pool or the hot tub," says the report.
