Why frolicking about in a hot tub this summer might not be a good idea

File this under eww: getting in a hot tub can give you diarrhoea.

While most of us try not to think about the human bits and pieces floating around in public pools, it turns out that at the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in the US, that's someone's job.

And a recent CDC report found that outbreaks of diarrhoea linked to "recreational water" in hot tubs and pools have increased greatly since 1988, with 90 cases in 2011-12 and 1,788 cases in the US overall.

Half of the outbreaks were found to be caused by cryptosporidium, a parasite that exists in human faecal matter and causes diarrhoea.

To avoid getting the hot tub runs, the CDC released some pretty obvious advice:

Stay out of the water if you have diarrhoea.

Shower before you get in the water.

Don’t "pee" or "poop" in the water.

Don’t swallow the water.

Unless you want to turn your hot tub into a toilet, that is. Some people just want to live dangerously.

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