Q: I have noticed that my children sometimes get bouts of stomach cramps and diarrhea after they swim at the lake. Can you tell me about the risks of illness from swimming in a lake and what can be done to prevent them?
A: There are extra risks from swimming in a lake apart from the obvious one of drowning. In tropical and subtropical areas, these risks from disease increase. However, it is great exercise and fun for children, so you just need to take a few simple precautions to prevent problems.
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What is lurking in our lakes? There are toxic plants such as blue-green algae. Not all varieties are dangerous, but some types produce toxins that can cause illness in pets and livestock who drink the water.
People who drink contaminated water may get numbness and tingling in the lips and mouth and suffer from diarrhea and vomiting. Swimmer’s itch is caused by tiny parasites that burrow underneath the skin causing itching within a few minutes of exposure and a red rash a few hours later.
Leeches are not dangerous but are unpleasant when they latch onto you. Do not pull them off. Use heat or salt to make them let go or you might leave part of the head in your skin, which can lead to infection. Treat the area like a cut by disinfecting or applying Polysporin.
The most dangerous creatures are other human beings. People who have any illness such as diarrhea or sore throats and colds should not go in the water as the germs can easily be transmitted to other swimmers.
Researchers at the University of Miami in Florida have found that you are 4.6 percent more likely to get a fever, a cold or other respiratory illness if you swim in the lake or sea than if you stay out of the water. Swimmers had 1.76 times the rate of diarrhea.
Clare Rowson is a retired medical doctor in Belleville, Ont.
