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School trip to bathing lake

Question
Hello,

The class teacher of my daughter (CF) is planning a class trip to a holiday camp and the area is just near a bathing lake.
I know, that my daugher is not allowed to bath in the lake due to the danger of Pseudomonas.
However, is there also a risk of infection if she is only on the grounds?
The stay has a duration of 5 days and I simply fear, that my daugher is catching something there but on the other hand she would be very sad if she is not allowed to go there.
Answer
Dear questioner,
in the end the risk of infection can even not totally be excuded if she only stays next to a bathing lake. That is also due to the fact that one does not know in most of the cases where and how a patient got infected with P. aeruginosa. Factors, that could increase the risk concerning the question "bathing lake" are primarily a superficial, standing water, and if it deals with a natural bathing lake, as in this case one has to assume a higher germ load of the water. Also the distance to the lake, the water temperature, respectively the time of the year could play a role concerning the germ load. One could inform oneself about the quality of the water at the local authorities. The load with P. aeruginosa is hereby however mostly not investigated. Bathing and the inevitable swalloing of very small amounts of water is without question a clearly greater risk than the stay near the lake. I regard however the risk to be very low to come in contact with (sufficient) germ-loaded aerosol for an infection in case of an outdoor stay and a marked distance to the lake.
Best regards,
Michael Hogardt
21.07.2014