JEFFERSON CITY - Twelve pools in the Kansas City metropolitan area have closed early this season due to cryptosporidium contamination.
While this parasite and waterborne disease, also known as “crypto,” has infested both sides of the state line, only Kansas public and neighborhood pools have closed before the Labor Day weekend.
The Kansas City Health Department has reported over 75 cases within the Missouri border, but to date no cases have directly linked to a specific location, according to spokesman Jeff Hershberger.
Cryptosporidium is passed through oral-fecal transmission and those infected should avoid swimming for two weeks, according to Hershberger.
“It doesn’t take having an accident in the pool. If you’re infected with the bacteria, getting in the water can infect the pool,” Hershberger said.
Symptoms of cryptosporidium include diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach pain.
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Missouri Digital News
