Get sick during a holiday in Thailand, especially a short one, no one wants, but tourists continue to make the same mistake leading to this outcome. A Russian woman told in her Zen channel why it is dangerous to take a hotel with a pool and rush to dive there in the first days after arrival.
In Thailand, a Russian tourist caught the virus with all the accompanying symptoms: fever, cough and weakness. She instantly understood where the “surprise” came from, and decided to warn her readers. The reason turned out to be a room with a pool, in which she recklessly decided to swim.
The Russian woman assures that the public pool in the hotel is the source of a huge amount of infection, and treatments are simply powerless here. After all, up to 300 people a day can swim in a small hotel near the airport. In order not to catch a tropical virus, it is enough to keep your nose above water and your mouth closed. It seems easy for adults, but completely impossible when it comes to children. And parents can already become infected from children.
In public pools and crowded beaches in popular resorts, you can find:
- Cryptosporidium. These are parasites that cause diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach cramps. They spread in dirty water with faeces, and can live for several days in chlorinated water;
- E. coli. It spreads through contaminated water, including in swimming pools, causing gastrointestinal infections with diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps;
- Rotavirus. It is transmitted from an infected person to another person through contact with contaminated surfaces, food or water, through feces or vomit. One patient with rotavirus can infect an entire pool;
- Legionella. This is the bacterium that causes what is known as Legionnaires' disease, a severe form of pneumonia. It enters the body by inhaling small drops of water. This is possible in swimming pools, hot tubs, under poorly maintained air conditioners and humidifiers;
- Skin infections such as athlete's foot, folliculitis, ringworm.
In order to remain safe, the pool must be maintained at the correct chlorine level and regularly cleaned, including the area around . Not every hotel, especially the low price segment, devotes enough time to this. Tourists themselves also cause problems, ignoring the recommendations to take a shower before swimming and not to go into the water if you feel unwell.
“Try at least not open your mouth and protect your nose from getting water. And explain to your children that diving in public pools immediately upon arrival is not necessary, give yourself a chance to adapt at least a little. The body is under stress after the flight, and it can be difficult for the immune system to cope in the new conditions,” the Russian woman advised in conclusion.
For those who care about a healthy lifestyle, we recommend reading: “Something stinks: the doctor said that body odor speaks of health – and when it can be deadly.”