Stay Out of the Pool: Australian Health Officials Sound Alarm as Cryptosporidiosis Cases Spike

People who’ve had diarrhoea are advised not to go swimming for at least two weeks afterwards or they risk spreading a parasitic disease.

A magnified image of two Cryptosporidium parasites. Courtesy of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

A worrying rise in the number of Cryptosporidiosis cases in New South Wales (NSW) and Queensland has prompted health officials to warn people who have suffered from diarrhoea not to go swimming for at least two weeks afterwards, to prevent spreading the parasite.

NSW has seen 498 reported cases of cryptosporidiosis so far this year compared to the usual five-year average of 95.