Healthy Swimming Announcements

Celebrate Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week!

CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program is pleased to announce the start of the 8th annual Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week (RWIIPW).

Each year, RWIIPW focuses on simple steps swimmers and pool operators can take to help ensure a healthy and safe swimming experience for everyone.

We invite you to look at our new offerings this year, which include:

• New Healthy Swimming posters  
• The Winning and Runner-Up videos from last year’s video contest
• The RWIIPW Feature on the CDC homepage
• The newly published article in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) on how a communications campaign in Utah might have helped increase knowledge of healthy swimming behaviors
• A new summary of national drowning statistics from 2005-2009
• Spanish translations of our most popular Healthy Swimming pages

We also have a RWIIPW-themed button and banner that partners can put on their own websites to promote the observance. Please email healthyswimming@cdc.gov if you are interested in using either of these and we will send you the files.

Thank you for your support; we wish all of you a safe and healthy swim season!

Healthy Swimming Video 2011 Video Contest: Top 5 Videos

The 2011 Healthy Swimming Video Contest Top 5 Videos are ready for your vote!

The Healthy Swimming Program is pleased to announce the top 5 videos for the 2011 Healthy Swimming Video Contest, which are now open for public vote. Over the last 2 months, 49 videos were submitted and CDC's panel of judges selected the 5 finalists after much deliberation.

Now it's your chance to help choose the winner, who will receive $1000 and an opportunity for their video to be posted on CDC's Healthy Swimming Website and CDC's You Tube Channel. 

Healthy Swimming Video 2011 Video Contest

In conjunction with RWIIPW, the Healthy Swimming Program recently announced the kickoff of its first-ever video contest! To help prevent the spread of germs at pools and other recreational water venues, CDC is asking the public to educate swimmers by making a short, creative video that promotes the simple steps everyone can take to ensure a healthy swimming experience. Submissions are now being accepted through July 4th. The first-place winner will receive a one-time $1,000 prize, provided by the CDC Foundation. The winning video will also be featured on CDC’s Healthy Swimming Website and CDC’s YouTube Channel for thousands to see.

Go to CDC’s Healthy Swimming 2011 Video Contest for more contest details.

Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week 2011

CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program is excited to announce the launch of the 7th annual Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week (RWIIPW), May 23–29th. The theme of RWIIPW 2011 is prevention of swimmer’s ear, a common and painful problem for swimmers of all ages. CDC has just published a new report on the significant health care and economic costs associated with swimmer’s ear. The report also includes some simple steps people can take to prevent swimmer’s ear this summer.

Read the Swimmer’s Ear Report in MMWR: Estimated Burden of Acute Otitis Externa — United States, 2003–2007.

For more information on RWIIPW 2011, go to the historical observance page for Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week 2011.