The swimming pool at the Pat Jones YMCA on E. Republic Rd. in Springfield is closed until further notice due to concerns about a parasite. The Springfield-Greene County Health Department informed the YMCA that a person who used the pool tested positive for cryptosporidium, a parasitic illness that causes intestinal issues.
According to the Y, the person used the pool as recently as February 1. Those who have used the lap pool in the last 30 days may have been exposed to the parasite. Symptoms include profuse watery diarrhea, nausea, vomiting and abdominal cramping. If you experience those symptoms, you should seek medical attention.
According to the YMCA, “while we have no reason to believe anything harmful could have been passed on to any other members, the pool has been hyper chlorinated out of an abundance of caution.”
Once Chlorine levels have returned to normal, the health department will conduct tests to determine when the pool can reopen.
