On this page
Key messages
- Aquatic facilities and the public play an important role in preventing the spread of cryptosporidiosis.
- Cryptosporidium parvum is a parasite that is highly resistant to the levels of chlorine normally found in swimming pools.
- Cryptosporidium spreads through faeces and is highly contagious. Do not swim for 14 days after diarrhoea has stopped.
What is Cryptosporidium?
Cryptosporidium parvum is a parasite excreted in the faeces of infected humans, cattle and other mammals. The infection is known as cryptosporidiosis, or sometimes just 'crypto'. It occurs by:
- accidentally swallowing contaminated pool water
- drinking contaminated tap water
- consuming contaminated food
- directly contacting faeces such as from an infected child's nappies or an infected animal.
C. parvum is highly resistant to the levels of chlorine normally found in swimming pools. One infected person can contaminate a large swimming pool in a single visit, potentially infecting anyone in the water before the chlorine can kill the parasite.
Symptoms
The symptoms are usually mild, but can be more severe in people with weak immune systems, such as children, the elderly and pregnant women. After infection it can take anywhere between one and 12 days for the illness to take hold. On average, symptoms will appear a week after infection. Symptoms may include:
- profuse, watery diarrhoea, often with abdominal cramping
- bloating
- fever
- loss of appetite
- fatigue
- nausea and vomiting.
The symptoms usually last for about two weeks. People with weak immune systems may be ill for longer. Even after recovery, the parasite may be present in faeces for up to two weeks after recovery. To avoid spreading cryptosporidiosis, do not swim during this period.Â
If you or your family develop a gastrointestinal illness after swimming at a public pool, contact the pool manager so any potential outbreak can be monitored.Â
There is no specific treatment for cryptosporidiosis. Consult your doctor for medical advice.
Reviewed 02 December 2021
Health.vic
-
- Hospitals & health services
- Health Service Partnerships
- Public hospitals in Victoria
-
- Patient care
- Ambulance and patient transport
- Non-emergency patient transport
- First Aid Services
- Acute care
- Virtual care (Telehealth)
- Perinatal and reproductive services
- Rehabilitation and complex care
- Specialist clinics
- Specialty diagnostics, therapeutics and programs
- Older people in hospital
- End of life and palliative care in Victoria
- Smoke Free Hospitals
-
- Quality, safety and service improvement
- My Health Record
- Collecting patient-reported outcome measures in Victoria
- Public hospital accreditation in Victoria
- Improvement and Innovation Program
- Credentialing for senior medical staff in Victoria
- Clinical risk management
- Preventing infections in health services
- Healthy choices
- Victorian Perinatal Data Collection
-
- Rural health
- Improving Access to Primary Care in Rural and Remote Areas Initiative
- Mildura Base Hospital Transition
- Rural x-ray services
- Rural health regions and locations
- Rural and regional medical director role
- Victorian Patient Transport Assistance Scheme
- Rural and isolated practice registered nurses
- Urgent care in regional and rural Victoria
-
- Private health service establishments
- Private hospitals
- Day procedure centres
- Mobile health services
- Fees for private health service establishments in Victoria
- Design resources for private health service establishments
- Professional standards in private health service establishments
- Legislation updates for private health service establishments
- Complaints about private health service establishments
- Cosmetic procedures
- Guideline for providers of liposuction
- Private hospital funding agreement
-
- Primary & community health
- Local Public Health Units
- Integrated care
-
- Maternal and Child Health Service
- Maternal and Child Health Service Framework
- Maternal and Child Health Service resources
- Child Development Information System
- Early parenting centres
- Maternal Child and Health Reporting, Funding and Data
- Baby bundle
- Sleep and settling
- Maternal and Child Health Workforce professional development
- Aboriginal Maternal and Child Health
- Public Dental and Community Health Program funding model review
-
- Public health
-
- Cemeteries and crematoria
- Cemetery trust member appointments
- Cemetery search
- Cemeteries and crematoria complaints
- Cremations
- Exhumations
- Governance and finance
- Cemetery grants
- Interments and memorials
- Land and development
- Legislation governing Victorian cemeteries and crematoria
- Cemeteries and crematoria publications
- Repatriations
- Rights of interment
-
- Medicines and Poisons Regulation
- Patient Schedule 8 treatment permits
- Schedule 9 permits for clinical trials
- Documents and forms to print or download
- Legislation and Approvals
- Frequently Asked Questions - Medicines and Poisons Regulation
- Health practitioners
- Licences and permits to possess (& possibly supply) scheduled substances
- Medicinal cannabis
- Pharmacotherapy (opioid replacement therapy)
- Recent updates
- SafeScript
-
- Environmental health
- Improving childhood asthma management in Melbourne's inner west
- Climate and weather, and public health
- Environmental health in the community
- Environmental health in the home
- Environmental health professionals
- Face masks for environmental hazards
- Human health risk assessments
- Lead and human health
- Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS)
- Pesticide use and pest control
-
- Immunisation
- Vaccination program for adults
- Seasonal influenza vaccine
- Immunisation provider information
- Immunisation resources order form
- Adverse events following immunisation reporting
- Cold chain management
- Immunisation schedule and vaccine eligibility criteria
- Immunisers in Victoria
- Immunity for community
- Immunisation for special-risk groups
- Vaccination for adolescents
- Vaccination of infants and children
- Ordering vaccine
- Victorian coverage rates for Victoria
- Yellow fever vaccination centres
-
- Infectious diseases
- Disease information and advice
- Infection control guidelines
- Infectious diseases surveillance in Victoria
- Notification procedures for infectious diseases
- Notifiable infectious diseases, conditions and micro-organisms
- Protecting patient privacy in Victoria
- Public Health and Wellbeing Act 2008
-
- Mental health
-
- About Victoria's mental health services
- Area-based services
- Statewide and specialist mental health services
- Mental Health Community Support Services
- Support and intervention services
- Language services - when to use them
- Access to mental health services across areas
- Transport for people in mental health services
- Order mental health publications
-
- Alcohol & drugs
-
- Alcohol and other drug treatment services
- Overview of Victoria's alcohol and drug treatment system
- Pathways into alcohol and other drugs treatment
- Prevention and harm reduction
- Medically supervised injecting room
- Community-based AOD treatment services in Victoria
- Residential treatment services
- Hospital-based services
- Forensic services
- Pharmacotherapy treatment
- Services for Aboriginal people
- Services for young people
- Statewide and specialist services
- Compulsory treatment
- Family and peer support
-
- Alcohol and other drug service standards and guidelines
- Alcohol and other drug client charter and resources
- Alcohol and other drug treatment principles
- Service quality and accreditation
- Alcohol and other drug program guidelines
- Maintenance pharmacotherapy
- Drink and Drug Driving Behaviour Change Program
- Alcohol and Other Drug Residential Rehabilitation Facility Design Guidelines
- Specialist Family Violence Advisor capacity building program in mental health and alcohol and other drug services - Victoria
-
- Ageing & aged care
- My Aged Care assessment services
-
- Dementia-friendly environments
- Designing for people with dementia
- Maintaining personal identity
- Personal enjoyment
- Interior design
- Dining areas, kitchens and eating
- Bedrooms and privacy
- Bathrooms
- Gardens and outdoor spaces
- Assistive technology
- Staff education and support
- Strategies, checklists and tools
- References
-
- About us
- Our operational plan
- Our ministers
-
- Health workforce
- Medical workforce in Victoria
- Mental health workforce
-
- Nursing and midwifery
-
- Free nursing and midwifery study
- Undergraduate nursing and midwifery scholarships
- Enrolled nurse to registered nurse transition scholarships
- Re-entry pathway scholarships for nurses and midwives
- Refresher pathway for nurses and midwives
- Postgraduate scholarships for nurses and midwives
- Support for new nurse practitioners
- Additional funding for nursing and midwifery positions
- Undergraduate student employment
- Nursing and Midwifery Workforce Development Fund
- Becoming a nurse or midwife
- Furthering your nursing and midwifery career
- Midwives in Victoria
- Inter-professional Nurse Paramedic Graduate Program
- Returning to nursing or midwifery
- Safe Patient Care
- Aboriginal graduate and cadetship programs
- Allied health workforce
- Education and training
- Enterprise agreements
- Worker health and wellbeing
- Information sharing and MARAM
- Recognition and awards
-
- Populations
- Aboriginal health in Victoria
- Improving health for Victorians from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
- Designing for Diversity
- Understanding LGBTIQ+ health: Rainbow eQuality - Department of Health, Victoria, Australia
- Older people
- Asylum seeker and refugee health in Victoria
- Vulnerable children
- Improving women's health
- Our campaigns
In this topic
On this site
Consumer information
- Swimming - keeping the water clean
- Healthy swimming Everyone has a responsibility to keep themselves and others safe and healthy in the pool and help keep the pool clean.
- Gastroenteritis - cryptosporidiosis
More information
Contact details
Water Unit