Nobody in their right mind would ever even think about drinking their own bathwater. But with summers being as hot and sticky as they are in the Ark-La-Tex, we don't hesitate to jump into our favorite swimming pool with a group of friends; or if we happen to be at a public pool, a bunch of strangers.  Because, inevitably you're going to get some of the pool water in your mouth, which is sorta like drinking from a communal bathtub.  Ewww.

Okay, maybe that's over-dramatizing it a bit, but the fact remains that there is some risk of becoming ill from swimming with other people.  According to the Louisiana Radio Network, the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is alerting swimmers to a significant uptick in infections caused by a particularly gross bacterium that has been appearing in public pools around the country.  The offender is called cryptosporidium which can cause diarrhea that may last up to three weeks.  It gets into the water when someone with diarrhea gets into the water.  Last year there were 32 reported outbreaks of cryptosporidium infection which is double the occurrences of just two years before, thus the advisory from the CDC.

The CDC says that if you have had diarrhea that you should stay out of the water at least two weeks.  And when you do head down to the pool to get relief from the brutal summer heat, just don't drink the water.

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