This summer Madison’s lakes and hundreds of private swimming pools will be filled with people having fun and staying cool. Swimming is one of the most popular activities in the country, but did you know that germs can contaminate swimming water even if it’s been treated with chlorine?

Learning information about recreational water illnesses that are spread by swimming in contaminated recreational waters such as swimming pools, water parks, and lakes can protect you and your family from getting sick.

Recreational water illnesses are caused by germs like "crypto" (KRIP-toe) short for Cryptosporidium, Giardia (gee-ARE-dee-uh), E. coli, and Shigella (shi-GE-luh) and are spread by accidentally swallowing water that has been contaminated with fecal matter. Remember you share the water with everyone and everything in it.

Germs causing these illnesses are killed by chlorine, but chlorine doesn’t work right away. It takes time to kill germs and some germs like Crypto are resistant to chlorine and can live in pools for days. That’s why even the best maintained pools can spread illness.

Healthy swimming behaviors are needed to protect your family from illness after swimming in area lakes and pools this summer.

Here are six "P-L-E-A’s" from the Madison Department of Public Health and The Centers for Disease Control:

· PLEASE wash your hands with soap and water after using the toilet or after changing diapers. You can protect others by being aware that germs on your body end up in the water.

· PLEASE don’t swallow lake or pool water. In fact, try your best to avoid even having water get in your mouth.

· PLEASE take your kids on bathroom breaks often. Waiting to hear "I have to go" may mean that it’s too late.

· PLEASE don’t swim when you have diarrhea. This is especially important for kids in diapers. You can spread the germs into the water and make other people sick.

· PLEASE change diapers in a bathroom. Germs can spread to surfaces and objects in and around the environment and spread illness.

· PLEASE wash your child thoroughly (especially the rear end) with soap and water before swimming. We all have invisible amounts of fecal matter on our bottoms that end up in the water.