infectious diseases
Cryptosporidiosis
Prevention of Cryptosporidiosis
Prevention of cryptosporidiosis requires Effective public water treatment Hygienic food preparation Special precautions during international travel Appropriate fecal-oral hygiene Thorough handwashing after contact with feces of humans and animals Not swallowing water when swimming in lakes, rivers, streams, ocean, swimming pools, and hot tubs Safer sex practices Taking special care when traveling to areas with poor sanitation Specific recommendations for the general public and people with compromised immunity due to AIDS or other causes are available from theCenters for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Stools of patients with cryptosporidiosis are highly infectious; strict stool precautions should be observed. Special biosafety guidelines have been developed for handling clinical specimens. Boiling potentially contaminated water for 1 min (3 min at altitudes > 2000 m [6562 ft]) is the most reliable decontamination method; only filters with pore sizes≤1 micrometer (specified as “absolute 1 micron” or certified under NSF/ANSI International Standard No. 53 or No. 58) removeCryptosporidiumcysts. 