Though swimming is good for the health it is also important to be aware of ways to prevent water-related adverse health events, such as sunburn and other injuries, drowning, and recreational water illnesses (RWIs). CDC's Healthy Swimming program provides information for the public and health professionals (for example, outbreak response toolkits and the Model Aquatic Health Code) on a variety of subjects.

Pools & Hot Tubs

Every year, recreational water venues (for example, swimming pools, hot tubs, lakes, and oceans) receive more than 360 million visits from individuals around the country (1). This makes swimming the third most popular recreational activity in the United States and the most popular recreational activity for children (1). The benefits of water-based exercise are numerous, but to truly enjoy a safe and healthy swimming experience it is important for swimmers and hot tub users to know the steps they should take to protect themselves and others from potential health risks.

Aquatics professionals have a responsibility to provide a safe and healthy swimming environment for their patrons. Maintaining good water quality requires pool operators and staff to have specific skills (which can be gained through training, education, and certification courses), including:

• An understanding of appropriate aquatics facility design and operation.
• Training in proper disinfection (using pH and chlorine) and remediation methods for use after water and surface contamination

Recreational Water Illness (RWI)

Recreational water illnesses (RWIs) are caused by germs spread by swallowing, breathing in mists or aerosols of, or having contact with contaminated water in swimming pools, hot tubs, water parks, water play areas, interactive fountains, lakes, rivers, or oceans.

RWIs can be a wide variety infections, including gastrointestinal, skin, ear, respiratory, eye, neurologic, and wound infections. The most commonly reported RWI is diarrhea. Diarrheal illnesses can be caused by germs such as Crypto (short for Cryptosporidium), Giardia, Shigella, norovirus and E. coli O157:H7. In the past two decades, there has been an increase in the number of RWI outbreaks associated with swimming.

It is important to learn the basic facts about RWIs so you can keep yourself and your family healthy. CDC's Healthy Swimming program offers information and resources to raise awareness about RWIs and how to prevent them.

What do surfing, fishing, water skiing, and swimming have in common?

They are all lots of fun...and they all take place in, on, or around the water! Water activities are a great way to stay cool and have a good time with your friends or your family. Take along these tips - and your common sense - to get wet, make waves, and have a blast!

Top Ten Tips:

• DO learn to swim. If you like to have a good time doing water activities, being a strong swimmer is a must.
• DO take a friend along. Even though you may be a good swimmer, you never know when you may need help. Having friends around is safer and just more fun!
• DO know your limits. Watch out for the "too's" - too tired, too cold, too far from safety, too much sun, too much hard activity.
• DO swim in supervised (watched) areas only , and follow all signs and warnings.
• DO wear a life jacket when boating , jet skiing, water skiing, rafting, or fishing.
• DO stay alert to currents. They can change quickly! If you get caught in a strong current, don't fight it. Swim parallel to the shore until you have passed through it. Near piers, jetties (lines of big rocks), small dams, and docks, the current gets unpredictable and could knock you around. If you find it hard to move around, head to shore. Learn to recognize and watch for dangerous waves and signs of rip currents - water that is a weird color, really choppy, foamy, or filled with pieces of stuff.
• DO keep an eye on the weather. If you spot bad weather (dark clouds, lighting), pack up and take the fun inside.
• DON'T mess around in the water. Pushing or dunking your friends can get easily out of hand.
• DON'T dive into shallow water. If you don't know how deep the water is, don't dive.
• DON'T float where you can't swim. Keep checking to see if the water is too deep, or if you are too far away from the shore or the poolside.

Drownings: The Reality:

We all want to keep our children safe and secure and help them live to their full potential. Knowing how to prevent leading causes of child injury, like drowning, is a step toward this goal.

When most of us are enjoying time at the pool or beach, injuries aren't the first thing on our minds. Yet, drownings are the leading cause of injury death for young children ages 1 to 4, and three children die every day as a result of drowning.

Thankfully, parents can play a key role in protecting the children they love from drowning.

Prevention Tips:

• Fence it off. Install a four-sided isolation fence, with self-closing and self-latching gates, around backyard swimming pools. This can help keep children away from the area when a parent cannot supervise them. Pool fences should completely separate the house and play area from the pool.

• Make life jackets a "must." Make sure kids wear life jackets in and around natural bodies of water, such as lakes or the ocean, even if they know how to swim.

• Learn CPR. Learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and get recertified every two years. CPR can help a child stay alive with little or no brain damage.

• Be on the look out. Supervise young children at all times around bathtubs, swimming pools, and natural bodies of water. Adults watching kids near water should avoid distracting activities like playing cards, reading books, or talking on the phone.

source:http://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/swimming/