A Bali traveller is warning other tourists to be wary when swimming in hotel pools after a common act left him incredibly unwell. Joshua Chimupeni was enjoying the pool at a popular five-star resort in Seminyak when he made the mistake of dunking his head underwater multiple times, accidentally ingesting small amounts of pool water.
It wasn’t until about 16 hours later that he started to feel sick, and was mentally backtracking through his day to figure out if it was something he had eaten. He had been taking precautions during his travels to avoid ice and street food, and didn’t connect the dots until a doctor came to treat him in his hotel room.
“I had no idea it could have been the pool,” Josh, from Liverpool in England, told Yahoo News.
Throughout the day, Josh accidentally swallowed small amounts of pool water. Source: Joshua Chimupeni
“It was a gorgeous place. I was confused until the doctor come into my room and said it can be from swallowing pool water.
“Tiny bits of water were accidentally being swallowed every time I’d resurface.”
Diarrhoea, vomiting, extreme sweating after pool swim
While chlorine kills most germs and bacteria in pools, there are some germs that can survive for weeks in chlorinated water.
Gastro from pool water occurs when fecal matter gets into the water and is accidentally swallowed. This is not limited to Bali and can occur in any country.
Here in Australia, authorities advise swimmers who have had diarrhoea in the past two weeks to avoid swimming, even after symptoms have cleared up.
Josh’s symptoms included diarrhoea and vomiting at the same time, extreme sweating and loss of body fluid.
“I had treatment in the hotel room with an IV drip, antibiotics and anti-sickness tablets,” the 23-year-old said.
Thankfully, it was towards the end of his holiday that he fell ill.
“It did not ruin my holiday. I would just recommend precautions,” he said, adding he was able to get out and about the following day despite still feeling weak.
“The staff overall are lovely and very helpful, and they could not have done any more. I’d like to thank the staff for their hospitality and I will be returning,” he said.
“My advice for travellers going to Bali is to eat from recommended known street foods, take preventatives and extra hygiene measures, like washing hands.”
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