--- title: CDC: Increase in Illness Outbreaks Linked to Hot Tubs and Pools description: Half of the outbreaks associated with treated-recreational water were caused by cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes diarrhea. canonical: https://time.com/3936866/cdc-outbreak-hot-tub-pools/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-06-25T22:27:52.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T08:33:52.381Z article:section: Health og:title: CDC Finds Increase in Outbreaks Linked to Hot Tubs and Pools og:description: Half of the outbreaks associated with treated-recreational water were caused by cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes diarrhea og:url: https://time.com/3936866/cdc-outbreak-hot-tub-pools/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: CDC Finds Increase in Outbreaks Linked to Hot Tubs and Pools twitter:description: Half of the outbreaks associated with treated-recreational water were caused by cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes diarrhea twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # CDC Finds Increase in Outbreaks Linked to Hot Tubs and Pools by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 25, 2015 10:27 PM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Jun 25, 2015 10:27 PM UTC The U.S. saw 90 outbreaks of illnesses associated with pools and hot tubs between 2011 and 2012, a number that has has [“significantly increased,”](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6424a4.htm?s%5Fcid=mm6424a4%5Fw#Fig2) officials said. The Centers of Disease Control and Prevention released a [report](http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6424a4.htm?s%5Fcid=mm6424a4%5Fw) this week on the outbreaks, which spanned 32 states and Puerto Rico, led to 1,788 cases, 95 hospitalizations, and one death. Half of the incidents associated with treated recreational water—pools and hot tubs—were caused by cryptosporidium, a parasite found in fecal matter that causes diarrhea. That’s a large increase since the first cryptosporidium-related outbreak was detected in 1988, the CDC said. According to [_CBS News_](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/swimming-pool-hot-tub-water-contamination-illness-increasing/), the CDC issued a 2014 report that recommends the installation of ultraviolet light, ozone, or some other supplemental disinfectant to kill germs like cryptosporidium. The best way to keep swimmers and swimming facilities healthy, according to the [CDC](http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/rwi/illnesses/cryptosporidium.html): * Stay out of the water if you have diarrhea. * Shower before you get in the water. * Don’t pee or poop in the water. * Don’t swallow the water. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3936866/cdc-outbreak-hot-tub-pools/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3936866/cdc-outbreak-hot-tub-pools/"},"headline":"CDC Finds Increase in Outbreaks Linked to Hot Tubs and Pools","datePublished":"2015-06-25T22:27:52.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T08:33:52.381Z","description":"Half of the outbreaks associated with treated-recreational water were caused by cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes diarrhea","url":"https://time.com/3936866/cdc-outbreak-hot-tub-pools/","keywords":["Public Health","health"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Maya Rhodan","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/public-health/","name":"Public Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3936866/cdc-outbreak-hot-tub-pools/","name":"CDC Finds Increase in Outbreaks Linked to Hot Tubs and Pools"}}]}] ```