CHENNAI: There is no restriction on using private and public swimming pools in the city due to cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis in Kerala, said the State Public Health Department. There was no need to panic over the matter, it said, while officials advised swimmers to exercise caution.
While using swimming pools, people must watch for symptoms such as fever, body pain, vomiting, dizziness or stiffness in the back of the neck within three days of training and seek immediate hospital care if these appear, said the department.
It also advised the public to avoid swimming in pools with algae deposition.
According to the guidelines, star hotels must maintain clean pools, drain water twice a day, and ensure proper disinfection with chlorine. Government and private pools must follow adequate chlorination levels, and chlorine level in high-risk waterbodies must be maintained above two ppm.
In rural areas, children and the general public should avoid swimming, bathing, or playing in polluted or stagnant waterbodies, which may pose a risk of exposure, the department advised. Schoolchildren have been advised to drink boiled water.
The Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has instructed district health officials to closely monitor the situation and initiate disease-prevention measures.