The family of an Indianapolis woman who died after getting a flesh-eating bacteria believes she got it from a hot tub while at a hotel she was staying at in the Tampa Bay area.
While her death has not officially been ruled the result of a flesh-eating bacteria yet, we spoke to a pool cleaning expert about how to best protect yourself from possible bacteria in a pool or hot tub.
“Bacteria will grow when the water chemistry is not properly balanced. What you can’t see is the scary stuff about pools,” said Greg Agerskov, owner of The Pool Surfers, a pool maintenance company, “Hot tubs are a smaller body of water and they’re heated upwards of 100 degrees, which means bacteria can grow even faster there.”
Agerskov says first scan the tub for any red flags like cloudy or green water. He says most high-end hotels are checked numerous times by the health department while smaller chains may not be as often. If you’re worried, you could get a water test.
“A lot of people don’t empty out their spas on a regular basis, they keep that water in there year round. Even though you’re chemically setting the water, it needs to be changed every 2-3 months,” Agerskov said.
When it comes to flesh-eating bacteria, called necrotizing fasciitis, the CDC says about 600-1,200 cases occur each year.
The CDC says flesh-eating bacteria does not spread from person to person. The most common way of getting it is when the bacteria enters the body through a break in the skin like a cut, scrape, burn, bite or more.
“I would never get into a spa with an open wound. For your safety and other people’s safety,” Agerskov said.
The CDC says the best way to protect yourself is to keep your immune system strong, practice good hygiene and proper wound care.
Juan Dumois, a pediatric infectious disease physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, says while he’s seen one case in the Tampa Bay area, it’s very rare.
Necrotizing fasciitis can be easily confused with other injuries like a pulled muscle, but Dumois says the pain will be much more significant. Also, if you notice the injury spreading over the course of a day, go to the ER to get tested for the bacteria immediately.
