We are now well into the hot summer months and, with frequent excessive heat warnings, Arizonans are cooling off by splashing into pools and water parks around the state. Swimming has many health benefits , but it’s important to practice safe swimming in order to avoid injury or illness. Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by swallowing water or breathing in mists from contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs/spas, water parks, lakes, rivers or oceans. The best ways to stay healthy while having fun in the water are:
- Never swim when sick with diarrhea,
- Keep pee and poop out of the water,
- Wash your body before entering the water,
- Keep all recreational water out of your mouth.
Our Healthy Swimming Program has been hard at work promoting these important messages visiting aquatic centers and community events. We recently crowned a winner of our 2015 Swim Safe and Be SunWise video contest. Eight year old Camryn P’s video “Swimming Safe and Being SunWise” was chosen as the winner for demonstrating some key points to enjoy your summer in the pool. We hope you like the video as much as we do. Have a safe and healthy summer!
Hi, I just got here from the Behavioral Health Services Blog (old version). Thanks for posting the above on swimming. I am new to Arizona from Michigan and have not visited the pools yet. I am going to share this with my kids. Thanks. -Scott