Prevention – General Public

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.

More on: Water-related Hygiene

More on: Healthy Swimming and Recreational Water

More on: Cryptosporidiosis in Immunocompromised Persons

Top of Page

Avoid Water That Might Be Contaminated

• 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

Top of Page

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.

Practice Extra Caution While Traveling

More on: Traveler's Health: Safe Food and Water

Prevent Contact and Contamination With Feces During Sex

• Use a barrier during oral-anal sex.
• Wash hands immediately after handling a condom used during anal sex and after touching