Swimming pools in remote Aboriginal communities in Western Australia decrease skin infections and ear disease and improve children's quality of life. Lehmann and colleagues (p 415) assessed the prevalence of pyoderma (“skin sores”) and perforations of the tympanic membrane in young people (aged under 17) before and after swimming pools were opened in two remote Aboriginal communities. Pyoderma, tympanic membrane perforation, and skin infections decreased by up to 50% after the swimming pools were introduced. Children's school attendance also improved because of a “no school, no pool” policy. Indigenous Australian children have high rates of pyoderma, which can lead to chronic renal disease and rheumatic heart disease. The authors say that swimming in a salt water pool provides the equivalent of a nasal and ear washout and cleans the skin.
Figure 1.
Credit: GLENN CAMPBELL/NEWSPIX