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Posted: 8:10 PM- Babies in diapers will likely remain welcome in public pools this summer - rather than banned to prevent the spread of cryptosporidium, the diarrhea-causing parasite that plagued Utah pools last year.
But their parents may be required to buy special swim diapers that do a better job of containing diarrhea than widely available but ineffectual diapers like Huggies' Little Swimmers.
And if there is another outbreak, tots in diapers will likely be banned.
Utah had one of 2007's largest crypto outbreaks in the nation, with 1,949 crypto cases reported. To try to stem the illness, spread through fecal-oral contact, pools in most of the state barred children under 5 from late August to late September. Children in diapers were banned through mid-November.
Some health officials believe diapered children should be permanently blocked, the view of Davis County health department's executive director Lewis Garrett in December. But on Tuesday, Garrett said the county would go along with what the state adopts.
The proposed requirement for tight-fitting diapers is meant to be a compromise.
"Children should be able to go swimming," said state epidemiologist Robert Rolfs. "Most of the children aren't causing any trouble."
The state hasn't required the special diapers in the past because chlorine has done a good job of killing any fecal-borne bugs. Normal chlorine levels don't kill crypto.
The suggested state rule would require waterproof pants and/or swim diapers that fit around the legs and waist for children 3 or younger, those who aren't potty-trained, and anyone without control of bodily functions.
Opponents of banning diapered children say it's impractical, since parents could simply remove a diaper in the parking lot. It's also costly - last year's ban meant entire families with young children stayed away, costing the 18 Salt Lake County-owned pools $160,000.
While individual health districts can impose more stringent rules, the Salt Lake Valley Health Department doesn't plan a ban. "It is much more effective . . . to educate the public this is what the concern is and this is what you can do to prevent the spread," said Teresa Gray, its bureau manager for water quality and hazardous waste.
Some pool owners have long required the looser-fitting Huggies' or Pampers' swim diapers, which "don't do much but act as a filter for the big pieces," acknowledged Martin Jensen, spokesman for Salt Lake County's publicly-owned recreation centers.
For now, the tight-fitting diapers are difficult to find in local stores. That's why some county centers sell $4 reusable fitted swim diapers with the brand name "I-Play" at cost.
If the state does mandates the diapers, Jensen expects stores will start carrying them. And depending on the way the rule is written, plastic pants typically used to cover cloth diapers may suffice.
The Dimple Dell Fitness and Recreation Center in Sandy has sold the diapers for several years. Jaime Argyle, a Sandy mother visiting Tuesday with her two children, wasn't familiar with them, but wasn't opposed to their required use.
"I would be open to it - especially if it helped" stop crypto, she said.
Others questioned whether potty-trained children under age 3 would or should still be required to wear the diapers. And Kristen Messenger, also from Sandy, had a more practical concern about the resusable diaper: "I could see a lot of people saying I don't want to clean it," she said.
hmay@sltrib.com" Target="_BLANK">hmay@sltrib.com - JULIA LYON contributed to this report.