A Texas health department stated there is a strong epidemiological link between four E. coli cases and a public swimming pool in the town of West, Texas.
At least 73 individuals reported experiencing symptoms of gastrointestinal illness consistent with an E. coli infection after visiting the Playdium Pool between July 28 through the last day the facility was open on August 6. None have required treatment at a hospital.
On August 9, the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District said that four cases were confirmed by lab tests.
In response to the outbreak, the Playdium Pool announced they would close for the rest of the season for thorough cleaning, disinfection, and water quality testing.
Health officials said that the management at Playdium is “cooperating fully with health officials and is committed to implementing corrective measures to prevent future incidents.”
According to a statement posted on the Playdium Pool Facebook page, “There has been no evidence of fecal contamination coming from our pool, and the water’s pH and chlorine levels are within acceptable ranges on multiple occasions.”
The health district confirmed that Playdium Pool hasn’t failed any pool safety inspections in the last five years.
These inspections test for the water chemistry but don’t test E. coli that may be in the water. Daily
Photo Credit: Playdium pool, West, TX maintenance logs at the pool were maintained and reported no incidents of fecal contamination.
In light of the confirmed cases, it is not clear if the health district has subsequently tested the pool’s water for E. Coli — on August 8, it was reported that the health district was exploring the feasibility of conducting E. coli testing on the water.
“E.coli, it can be transmitted either by contaminated water or by contaminated food,” said Vaidehi Shah, senior epidemiologist with the health district. “It’s possible that at that point in time, when the exposure happened, it’s possible that the pool was contaminated, or there was a food source that was contaminated that could have caused people to fall sick.”
Nonetheless, health officials have linked the outbreak to the swimming pool.
“We are doing an investigation here,” Shah said. “There is a correlation here, but there’s no causation yet.”
