Prevention & Control of Cryptosporidiosis

Practice Good Hygiene

Everywhere

Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, rubbing hands together vigorously and scrubbing all surfaces:
- Before preparing or eating food
- After using the toilet
- After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has used the toilet
- Before and after tending to someone who is ill with diarrhea
- After handling an animal or animal waste

At child care facilities

To reduce the risk of disease transmission, children with diarrhea should be excluded from child care settings until the diarrhea has stopped.

At recreational water venues (pools, interactive fountains, lakes, ocean)

Protect others by not swimming if you are experiencing diarrhea (this is essential for children in diapers). If diagnosed with cryptosporidiosis, do not swim for at least 2 weeks after diarrhea stops.
Shower before entering the water.
Wash children thoroughly (especially their bottoms) with soap and water after they use the toilet or their diapers are changed and before they enter the water.
Take children on frequent bathroom breaks and check their diapers often.
Change diapers in the bathroom, not at the poolside.

Around animals

Minimize contact with the feces of all animals, particularly young animals.
When cleaning up animal feces, wear disposable gloves, and always wash hands when finished.
Wash hands after any contact with animals or their living areas.

Outside

Wash hands after gardening, even if wearing gloves.

Immunocompromised persons

Avoid close contact with any person or animal that has cryptosporidiosis. Cryptosporidiosis can become a life threatening disease for immunocompromised persons.
Do not handle animal feces because infection can be life threatening for immunocompromised persons.

Avoid Water That Might Be Contaminated

Note:

You may not be protected in a chlorinated recreational water venue (for example, swimming pool, water park, water play area, splash pad, spray pad) because Cryptosporidium is chlorine-resistant and can live for days in chlorine-treated water.

Do not swallow water while swimming in swimming pools, hot tubs, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, streams or the ocean.
Reduce contamination of treated recreational water venues by having pool operators install in-line secondary disinfection systems (for example, ultraviolet light, ozone) to inactive this chlorine-tolerant parasite.
Do not drink untreated water from lakes, rivers, springs, ponds, streams, or shallow wells.
Do not drink inadequately treated water or ice made from water during communitywide outbreaks caused by contaminated drinking water.
Do not use or drink inadequately treated water or use ice when traveling in countries where the water supply might be unsafe.
If the safety of drinking water is questionable (for example, outbreak, poor sanitation, lack of water treatment systems):
- Drink bottled water
- Disinfect it by heating the water to a rolling boil for 1 minute, or
- Use a filter that has been tested and rated by National Safety Foundation (NSF) Standard 53 or NSF Standard 58 for cyst and oocyst reduction; filtered water will need additional treatment to kill or inactivate bacteria and viruses.

More on: Healthy Swimming and Recreational Water

More on: Cryptosporidium & Water Filters

More on: Commercially-Bottled Water and Other Beverages

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Avoid Eating Food That Might Be Contaminated

Use safe, uncontaminated water to wash all food that is to be eaten raw.
After washing vegetables and fruit in safe, uncontaminated water, peel them if you plan to eat them raw.
Avoid eating uncooked foods when traveling in countries with poor water treatment and food sanitation.