Is swimming allowed?

Question

Hello
I am a 27-year-old mother. My 7-year-old son was diagnosed at birth for cystic fibrosis. I would have a question about the swimming pool. The doctor of the CF center strictly forbids him the bathings. You see how they are at this age: I can't refuse it to him. Measures of hygiene at the end of every bathing are taken (shower, etc.) I had contacts with some people who said that he could go without gravity. What do I have to do? I don't know any more. I do not have very good relations with the CF department of the center of Xxx. I am afraid for my son. I am afraid of the disease. Help me please. Thank you. You can join me by e-mail.

Answer

Dear questioner,

Your question is a frequent concern of the parents of CF children and several questions / answers already deal with this subject on the Ecorn web site.

One of the answers summarizes well:
"The guide (of the French CF Association) does not disadvise the use of swimming pools but invites to pass quickly the footbaths, showers and changing rooms which are very wet places.
It is necessary to avoid the stagnation of the water and thus the places as the footbaths, jaccuzzis because the heat also favors the proliferation of the germs that like the humidity.
The public swimming pools are regularly watched and checked with a compulsory display of the bacteriological results.
Private swimming pools of hotel, camping, are also submitted to the same standards of hygiene in France.
As the prevention is formally not always evidence-based, we can have subtle differences in the recommendations given by the centers according to the local hygienic standards. A reasonable balance should be found between a certain caution, but all the same a possibility of participating in the social activities. Our advice is that the swimming in a well maintained public or private swimming pool does not present a significant risk of being infected by Pseudomonas. "

I suggest you to discuss this again with the team of your CF Center: it is possible that particular elements of the disease and/or care (CF presents various forms, symptoms and also variable modalities of treatment from a patient to another one) can result in giving you different advice.

By hoping to have helped you,
Best regard,
Laetitia Guéganton

14.07.2014