Visit water park Neeltjejans

Question

What is your advice in planning a visit with a 6 year old patient with CF to the waterpark Neeltjejans on a blissful summer day?

http://www.neeltjejans.nl/waterpark-attracties/

Answer

Dear questioner,
Thank you for your question.
Exercise is healthy and swimming is an intense sport with fun, also for CF patients!
The fear of getting an infection by Pseudomonas, a bacterium which is present in a humid environment, should however not dominate.
Yet there is discussion whether swimming for CF patients is good or not (see also answers regarding sports, pool, sailing, lakes etc and Pseudomonas on this website). Pseudomonas grows mainly in stagnant and warm water. However, there is no scientific evidence that CF patients who swim in stagnant water have more Pseudomonas infections.
There is more concern about hot tubs (eg. Tropical pools, hammam) because it creates a kind of aerosol which may contain a high concentration of Pseudomonas bacteria. It is inhaled by the visitors of such pools and can cause an infection in CF patients. Therefore, it is not recommended to swim in tropical pools.

Swimming in a public pool should not be a problem because sufficient chlorine, which kills the Pseudomonas bacteria, is added to the water.
Pseudomonas can also be cultured in sea water, but because of the high concentration of salt Pseudomonas survives less easily. Also the flow and the relatively cold temperature of the sea water makes that not much Pseudomonas bacteria can grow. Swimming in sea water seems to be no problem for CF patients.
As the water of Neeltjejans is not covered and is daily filled with fresh (salt) water of the Oosterschelde, swimming does not seem to be harmful for CF patients.
Best regards,
Prof. K. De Boeck

06.05.2015