Public pools host skin, eye diseases

• Source: Global Times
• [08:11 August 03 2010]
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"Our staff members have been trained to examine customers by looking at their eyes and skin to determine if they have any such diseases," he told the Global Times Monday. "If any symptoms are noticed, they are asked to do a physical test, and those who refuse are turned away."

A doctor surnamed Huang, who declined to provide his full name, from the dermatol-ogy department at Shanghai Jiangcheng Hostpial in Yangpu district, said that while he could not provide a specific number, many people in the city live with transmittable skin diseases, and do not necessarily avoid public swimming facilities, nor are they always forbidden from entering such places.

"People can easily be infected by others in swimming pools, but the chance of infection also depends on their immune system," he told the Global Times Monday.

Huang added that people should be wary when swimming in public pools.

"There is no way to avoid the possibility of getting a transmittable disease if people swim in public places, but people can reduce the risk by showering immediately after getting out of the pool," he said.

But Lu Lina, a doctor at the Shanghai Eye Disease Prevention and Treatment Center in Jing'an district, said that health screenings provide no guarantees.

"If a person is well-trained, it is usually possible for that person to tell whether a person has some kind of infection or not," she told the Global Times Monday. "But the problem is that while some staff might do a proper job, others may not."

Zhou Ping contributed to this story