Kids play on a water fountain in downtown Chicago as they try to escape the heat
The U.S. is suffering a major heatwave that has caused some cities to break daily record highs. In photo: kids play on a water fountain in downtown Chicago as they try to escape the heat. AFP / Daniel SLIM

A new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may serve as a warning about the dangers of splash pads. The CDC's study looked at an outbreak of illnesses after dozens of people got sick after visiting a splash pad near Wichita, Kansas, last summer.

The agency found that 21 people had contracted Shigella bacteria while six other people had contracted the norovirus after they visited the Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard, Kansas. A total of 404 people who visited the park from May 28 to June 19, 2021, were surveyed for the study.

As many as 36 people also reported to have had gastrointestinal illnesses after visiting the splash pad but didn't have lab testing performed, the Wichita Eagle reported. Four people total were hospitalized from their sickness.

The park has at least three lawsuits filed against it, one of which has been settled, according to the Associated Press.

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The CDC has advised people that visit splash pads to take precautions due to bodily fluids, fecal matter, dirt, and debris that can get into the water.

"It can be difficult to keep the water in splash pads adequately disinfected. Spraying water reduces its chlorine or bromine level. Plus, when poop, pee, dirt, and debris get in the water, chlorine or bromine combine with them and break them down, meaning there is even less disinfectant available to kill germs. Swim diapers do not stop germs, poop, or pee from getting in the water," the CDC said on its website.

The CDC also warned of two other incidents at splash pads: A 3-year-old child from Texas died from a brain-eating amoeba after visiting a splash pad in 2021, and over 2,300 people were infected in a Cryptosporidium outbreak after using a New York splash pad in 2005.

To help stop the spread of germs in the water at a splash pad, the CDC recommends not swallowing the water, not urinating or defecating in the water, and not sitting or standing on the jets, which can spread fecal matter.

The agency also advised staying out of the water when sick with diarrhea, showering before getting into the water, taking kids on scheduled bathroom breaks, and checking diapers every hour.