The city of Lubbock saw an increase in the number of cases of cryptosporidiosis, a digestive illness, from the normal eight cases in a 30-day period to 11 cases from Aug. 1 to Aug. 22.
Eight of the 11 cases in Lubbock were due to out-of-town recreational water exposure, and all were laboratory confirmed.
The primary symptom of the illness is watery diarrhea, and symptoms generally begin two to 10 days after a person is infected with the parasite.
Matthew Robinson, an assistant professor in the infectious disease division of the School of Medicine at the Texas Tech Health Sciences Center, said these numbers are higher than normal for Lubbock, but there have been much larger outbreaks in the past.
In the early 1990s, he said, the illness contaminated the Milwaukee municipal water system and affected around 400,000 people in the city.
When the parasite that causes the illness enters someone's system, it is shed through his or her fecal matter. Others can then catch the illness through ingestion in public pools, those infected not washing their hands, and - much less likely - through the public water system, Robinson said.
Robinson said the parasite is resistant to chlorinated pools, meaning people who are diagnosed with the illness should stay away from public pools.
Although people with strong immune systems do not immediately need to seek medical attention unless their symptoms persist, those with diseases such as HIV, taking medication for an autoimmune disease or a person with a weak immune system for any other reason should seek medical attention.
He said if cases were reported on the Tech campus - such as the pool or a food location - it would be important to find the source of the parasite.
However, he said the best way for students to avoid catching or spreading the illness is to constantly keep hands washed.
Judy Davis, a public health nurse for the city, said young people, old people and those with weak immune systems are the main concern when it comes to "crypto."
She said most cases of the illness can be traced to recreational water exposure, though day cares are another area where the illness can spread widely.
Davis said people are encouraged to see a doctor because if they have the illness as they still can spread it to people in contact with them.
The parasite is shed through a person's stool, he said, and even after symptoms stop, it can still be shed for up to two weeks.
Symptoms can come and go for up to 30 days, and some people will not have symptoms.
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