May 22–28, 2023 marks the 19th annual Healthy and Safe Swimming Week. During this week, CDC highlights the role that swimmers, caregivers, aquatics and beach staff, residential pool owners, and public health officials play in preventing disease outbreaks, drowning, and pool chemical injuries. This year’s theme — Got Diarrhea? Don’t Swim! — encourages swimmers and caregivers of young swimmers to follow simple steps to prevent diarrheal germs from spreading in the water.
We all share the water we swim, play, or relax in. Protect yourself and those you care about from germs by taking the following steps:
- Stay out of the water if you are sick with diarrhea. If you have Crypto, don’t go back in the water until 2 weeks after your diarrhea has completely stopped.
- Don’t poop in the water.
- Don’t swallow the water. Chlorine kills most germs within minutes, but some poop germs can survive in chlorine for days.
- Take kids on bathroom breaks and check diapers every hour. Change diapers away from the water to help keep germs out of the water. Wash your hands after.
Healthy and Safe Swimming Week Materials
- Check out the Healthy and Safe Swimming Week Communications Toolkit, with community outreach suggestions, social media sample messages, graphics, resources, and press release templates.
- Read the feature on Diarrhea and Swimming.
- Download and print various fact sheets, posters, and social media graphics to promote healthy and safe swimming in your community.
More Information
- Find inspection forms, protocols, training, and other resources aligned with the Model Aquatic Health Code to strengthen aquatics programs. These resources were recently updated along with the Model Aquatic Health Code itself.
