When the swimming pool is overcrowded...

(Baonghean) - During hot days, swimming pools in Vinh City are packed with people. Driven by profit, pool owners are willing to sell tickets without limit. This leads to overcrowding in the pools, along with the risk of disease transmission to swimmers...

The swimming pool is overcrowded.

Vinh City currently has 7 swimming pools of varying sizes. Among them, the pools at the Muong Thanh Song Lam Hotel and Saigon Kim Lien are considered high-end, while others are more affordable, including those at the 4th Military District, Viet Anh Vocational School, and the Provincial Labor Culture House. Entrance fees range from 20,000 to 80,000 VND per visit with no time limit; monthly passes are cheaper.

Swimming pool of Military Region 4 (Vinh City).

Arriving at the Military Region 4 swimming pool at 5 PM, we saw hundreds of people swimming in the cool, blue water. As the afternoon progressed, the pool became increasingly crowded, with the number of people increasing exponentially. A pool manager said: "On average, about 250 people come to swim at this pool every day. On weekends, the number doubles. If you want to swim when it's less crowded, the only way is to arrive very early, between 5 PM and 7 PM..."

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa from Trung Do ward, who brought her two children to learn to swim here, said: “With the current hot weather, our endurance varies depending on our physical condition. Staying in air conditioning all day is not good, so I brought my two children here to swim to cool off. Swimming together as a family is also a good way to take care of children's physical and mental health.”... Swimming lessons aim to improve health and prevent drowning accidents, so they are chosen by many parents. Mr. Hoang Van Huy from Truong Thi ward, father of 9-year-old Hoang Van Minh, said: “Last summer, there were many tragic drowning incidents involving children in our province, so the family was very worried. I brought my child here to learn to swim. Knowing how to swim gives the family more peace of mind.”

Currently, swimming pools are offering swimming lessons for children. These classes last from 10 days to a month, with parents paying around 1 million VND per course (excluding entrance fees). Surveys show that during the recent hot weather, all these pools were overcrowded. In the early morning and late evening, each pool had hundreds of people swimming, the majority of whom were children. Many high-end pools sold out their monthly passes two weeks ago.

Warning about the risk of infection.

The limited number of swimming pools, coupled with the ever-increasing demand, especially during the sweltering summer months, has led to overcrowding. Meanwhile, driven by profit, many pools charge unlimited entry, with no restrictions on the number of people allowed inside. This increases the risk of disease transmission.

According to experts, water pollution in swimming pools comes from contamination by dirt, germs, human waste products such as sweat, cosmetics, sunscreen, and even urine and saliva. Not to mention that some people who already have illnesses but lack awareness of avoiding spreading them to others still go to the pool. When the pool is dirty, pool owners often use chemicals to disinfect it. The level of chemical toxicity depends on how "economical" the pool owner is.

Although swimming pools in Vinh City are equipped with water filtration systems, their continuous operation from morning to night makes it impossible to filter out all the dirt. Therefore, the water in the pools cannot be completely clean. Dirty pools contain pathogens that directly threaten human health, especially for young children, causing diseases such as conjunctivitis, diarrhea, dysentery, fungal infections, dermatitis, folliculitis, pore inflammation, meningococcal meningitis, etc. In fact, there have been many cases of rashes and itching after swimming. Ms. Nguyen Thi Thanh from Vinh Tan ward said: "For the past few days, after swimming, my child has had a runny nose and itchy rashes, so I have to stop taking him to the pool."

Dr. Hong Nhung, Director of the Provincial Center for Health Education and Communication, advises: To prevent illnesses from swimming pools, parents should note that the best time for swimming is from 5-7 am when there are fewer people swimming, and avoid swimming during the hottest part of the day, from 11 am to 3 pm, as it can harm the skin and easily lead to sudden colds. To reduce the effects of disinfectants, swimmers should shower with moisturizing lotion, apply waterproof sunscreen, and after swimming, clean their bodies thoroughly with clean water and neutral shampoo or body wash.

Parents should note the following points when taking their children swimming: If the child has any gastrointestinal illness, they should not be taken swimming; do not allow the child to swallow pool water; to protect the eyes, wear goggles while swimming to prevent water from entering the eyes, and use eye drops before and after swimming to prevent inflammation. After swimming, rinse the nose with saline solution to reduce irritation from the pool water on the nasal mucosa; rinse the mouth with clean water or mouthwash to remove any remaining bacteria on the surface of the oral cavity, preventing these bacteria from penetrating deeper and causing infection; do not eat or drink anything before rinsing; prepare water and snacks for the child to prevent heatstroke, fatigue, or weakness while swimming on hot days.

Thanh Son