Podcasts on Healthy Swimming &
Recreational Water Topics

These audio podcasts were created in collaboration with CDC's podcast program, and focus on healthy swimming, recreational water illnesses (RWIs), prevention, and related topics.

Podcasts in English

What’s in the Pool

HHS HealthBeat: What’s in the Pool (00:59)
Series Name: HHS HealthBeat
Running Time: 59 seconds
Release Date: 6/27/2012

Summary: CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program Chief, Michele Hlavsa, discusses how germs in swimming pools can make people sick and what swimmers can do to protect themselves and others.

Healthy Swimming

A Minute of Health with CDC: Healthy Swimming (Single announcer format, 00:59)
A Cup of Health with CDC: Healthy Swimming (Single announcer format, 03:04)
Series Name: A Minute of Health with CDC and a Cup of Health with CDC
Running Time: 59 seconds and 03:04 minutes
Release Date: 5/31/2012

Summary: Staying healthy and safe while swimming isn’t just about knowing how to swim; avoiding waterborne diseases is also a priority. Chlorine and other pool disinfectants don’t kill germs instantly. This podcast discusses how to help keep germs out of pools.

Healthy Swimming Advice from the CDC: May 21 (2012) Kicks Off National Recreational Water Illness and Injury Prevention Week

NewsInfusion: Healthy Swimming Advice from the CDC (Multiple announcer format, 01:22)
Series Name: NewsInfusion
Running Time: 1:22 minutes
Release Date: 5/21/2012

Summary: CDC’s Healthy Swimming Program Chief, Michele Hlavsa, outlines a few simple steps swimmers can take to protect their health while swimming.

Made possible by the generous financial support of the American Chemistry Council

Keep Your Ears Dry

A Minute of Health with CDC: Keep Your Ears Dry (Single announcer format, 00:59)
A Cup of Health with CDC: Keep Your Ears Dry (Single announcer format, 03:16)
Series Name: A Minute of Health with CDC and A Cup of Health with CDC
Running Time: 59 seconds and 03:16 minutes
Release Date: 6/2/2011

Summary: Swimmer's ear, or acute otitis externa, is a bacterial infection usually caused by water staying in the outer ear canal for a long time. These podcasts discuss how to prevent swimmer’s ear, as well as disease symptoms and treatment options.

Getting Along Swimmingly

CDC Kidtastics: Getting Along Swimmingly (Multiple Announcers, 2:16)
Series Name: CDC Kidtastics
Running Time: 02:16 minutes
Release Date: 4/1/2010

Summary: In this podcast, kids tell their peers how to be safe and stay healthy while they enjoy the water.

It's OK to Go in the Water

Ask CDC: It's OK to Go in the Water (Single announcer format, 2:36)
Series Name: Ask CDC
Running Time: 02:36 minutes
Release Date: 7/7/2009

Summary: In this podcast, CDC answers the question of how to keep kids healthy at pools and water parks. CDC provides healthy swimming advice to all swimmers and parents of young children, including steps to help keep germs out of the water. More information may be found in CDC's Healthy Swimming brochure [PDF - 817 kb].

Summer Swimming Safety

A Minute of Health with CDC: Summer Swimming Safety (Single announcer format, 00:59)
A Cup of Health with CDC: Summer Swimming Safety (Single announcer format, 4:11)
Series Name: A Minute of Health with CDC and A Cup of Health with CDC
Running Time: 59 seconds and 04:11 minutes
Release Date: 6/11/2009

Summary: A trip to a splash park or pool with the kids can be a great way to spend a hot summer day, but several waterborne illnesses can be lurking in public water play areas. In these podcast, CDC epidemiologist Dr. Randall Nett discusses ways to avoid waterborne illness at pools and water parks.

In the Swim of Things

CDC Featured Podcast: In the Swim of Things (Interview format, 4:13)
Series Name: CDC Featured Podcasts
Running Time: 04:13 minutes
Release Date: 5/18/2009

Summary: In this podcast, CDC's Dr. Michael Beach discusses the superbug, Cryptosporidium, a common cause of recreational water illness.

Protect the Ones You Love From Drowning

Protect the Ones Your Love: Protect the Ones You Love From Drowning (Single announcer format, 3:05)
Series Name: Protect the Ones Your Love - Child Injuries Are Preventable
Running Time: 03:05 minutes
Release Date: 12/10/2008

Summary: This podcast, developed as part of the Protect the Ones You Love initiative, discusses steps parents can take to help protect their children from drowning, one of the leading causes of child injury.

Staying Safe on the Water

Summertime Health and Safety: Staying Safe on the Water (Interview format, 3:45)
Series Name: Summertime Health and Safety
Running Time: 03:45 minutes
Release Date: 6/8/2008

Summary: In this podcast for all audiences, Dr. Julie Gilchrist from CDC's Injury Center outlines tips for safe boating.

Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Swimming Pools, Atlanta, Georgia

Emerging Infectious Diseases: Cryptosporidium and Giardia in Swimming Pools, Atlanta, Georgia (Interview format, 4:24)
Series Name: Emerging Infectious Diseases
Running Time: 04:24 minutes
Release Date: 5/29/2008

Summary: In this podcast, Dan Rutz speaks with Dr. Joan Shields, a guest researcher with the Healthy Swimming Program at CDC. They discuss Dr. Shields’s article from the June 2008 issue of Emerging Infectious Diseases that reported on the results of a study of 160 swimming pools in the greater Atlanta, Georgia area. Dr. Shields tested these pools for the germs that cause many recreational water associated outbreaks: Cryptosporidium and Giardia.

Staying Safe in the Water

Summertime Health and Safety: Staying Safe in the Water (Interview format, 5:38)
Series Name: Summertime Health and Safety
Running Time: 05:38 minutes
Release Date: 5/19/2008

Summary: In this podcast, Dr. Julie Gilchrist, a pediatrician and medical epidemiologist from CDC´s Injury Center, talks about staying safe in the water. Tips are for all audiences, with a focus on drowning prevention and keeping children safe in and around the pool, lake, or ocean.

Keep Children Safe From Drowning in Flooded Areas

CDC Hurricane Preparedness: Keep Children Safe From Drowning in Flooded Areas (Single announcer format, 00:54)
Series Name: CDC Hurricane Preparedness
Running Time: 54 seconds
Release Date: 10/22/2007

Summary: As the cleanup process begins after a natural disaster, there may be areas of flooding. Watch your children to prevent them from playing in or around flood water.

Indoor Pools Can Cause a Serious Health Risk

A Cup of Health with CDC: Indoor Pools Can Cause a Serious Health Risk (Interview format, 4:13)
Series Name: A Cup of Health with CDC
Running Time: 04:13 minutes
Release Date: 10/19/2007

Summary: Swimming is the most popular recreation for children and second most popular exercise in the country. Improperly maintained indoor swimming pool water quality levels of pose a serious risk of chemical exposure from chloramines which form quickly and can reach toxic levels in inadequately ventilated spaces. Chloramine outbreaks are common. Guests should not enter pool areas with strong chlorine odors and should report pool-associated respiratory or eye irritation to pool operators immediately.

Your Health, Swimming, and Waterborne Illnesses

A Minute of Health with CDC: Your Health, Swimming, and Waterborne Illnesses (Interview Format, 00:59)
A Cup of Health with CDC: Your Health, Swimming, and Waterborne Illnesses (Interview format, 6:01)
Series Name: A Minute of Health with CDC and A Cup of Health with CDC
Running Time: 59 seconds and 06:01 minutes
Release Date: 5/18/2007

Summary: During 2003–2004, consistent with previous years, a total of 62 waterborne disease outbreaks associated with recreational water were reported by 26 states and Guam. Illness occurred in 2,698 persons, resulting in 58 hospitalizations and one death. Of the 62 outbreaks, 30 (almost 50%) were outbreaks of gastroenteritis that resulted from germs, chemicals, or toxins. This podcast was based on the information published in the Waterborne Disease and Outbreak Surveillance Summary 2005-2006.

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Podcasts in Spanish

Parques acuáticos interiores: los riesgos que encierran

Un minuto de salud con los CDC: Parques acuáticos interiores: los riesgos que encierran
Series Name: Un minuto de salud con los CDC
Running Time: 04:13 minutos
Release Date: 4/5/2010

Resumen: Esta transmisión aborda los síntomas oculares y respiratorios experimentados por personas que visitan parques acuáticos interiores.

¡A nadar más a gusto!

CDC Kidtastics: ¡A nadar más a gusto!
Series Name: CDC Kidtastics
Running Time: 02:10 minutos
Release Date: 4/1/2010

Resumen: Este podcast de Kidtastics de los CDC enseña a los niños a tener precaución en el agua.

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