Swimming in the sea may lead to stomach flu, ear aches

Representational pictureThe next time you visit the sunsoaked beaches think twice before taking a plunge into the sea Researchers have found that people who swim bathe or take part in water sports in the sea are substantially more likely to experience stomach flu ear aches and other types of illness than those who do not This could be due to seawater pollution suggests the study published in the journal International Journal of EpidemiologyThe results showed that sea bathing doubled the odds of reporting general ear ailments and the odds of reporting earache specifically rose by 77 per centFor gastrointestinal illnesses the odds increased by 29 per centOur paper shows that spending time in the sea does increase the probability of developing illnesses such as ear ailments and problems involving the digestive system such as stomach ache and diarrhoea said Anne Leonard of the University of Exeter Medical School in BritainDespite significant investment resulting in an improvement in water quality in recent years seawater is still polluted from sources including industrial waste sewage and runoff from farmlandFor their review of studies the researchers whittled down more than 6000 studies to 19 studies which met the strict criteria for inclusion in the analysisMany of the studies included thousands of participants The number of people analysed in total exceeded 120000All the studies were conducted in highincome countries since 1961 The studies looked at the links between sea bathing and the incidence of illness in countries including the US Britain Australia New Zealand Denmark and NorwayWe think that this indicates that pollution is still an issue affecting swimmers in some of the worlds richest countries Leonard saidWe dont want to deter people from going into the sea which has many health benefits such as improving physical fitness wellbeing and connecting with nature However it is important that people are aware of the risks so they can make informed decisions Will Gaze of the University of Exeter Medical School who supervised the research saidAlthough most people will recover from infections with no medical treatment they can prove more serious for vulnerable people such as the very old or very young or those with preexisting health conditions Gaze addedCatch up on all the latest Mumbai news crime news current affairs and also a complete guide on Mumbai from food to things to do and events across the city here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updatesThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever