Story highlights Crypto is typically spread in swimming pools

The outbreak was first reported in Maricopa on August 4

Common symptoms include watery diarrhea, stomach cramps and dehydration

(CNN) Health officials in metropolitan Phoenix are working to stop a parasite outbreak at several swimming pools in Maricopa County that causes diarrhea.

The Maricopa County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) and the Environmental Services Department (MCESD) are responding to growing concerns since the microscopic parasite cryptosporidium was first reported August 4.

More than 100 people have been sickened at about 20 public recreational water facilities, officials said.

Health authorities recommend "that any facility in which an infected person swam prior to illness or while sick be treated for Crypto. MCESD is notifying the facilities that are affected and recommending that CDC guidelines for decontamination are being followed."

Cryptosporidium, also known as "Crypto"

Residents are encouraged to take proper measures when using recreational water areas to prevent the spread of the disease, which spreads in swimming pools when an infected person contaminates the water with fecal matter.

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