ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Swimming pools are full of bacteria-killing chemicals, but is it safe to swim in a pool if a child poops in it?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says, unequivocally, no.

Diarrhea, if swallowed in contaminated water, can make you very, very sick.

The germs that cause recreational water illness (RWIs) can be spread when swallowing water that has been contaminated with fecal matter.

If someone has diarrhea, the entire aquatic venue can be contaminated.

Some of the germs in diarrhea, including Norovirus, the parasite Cryptosporidium, or bacteria such as Giardia, Shigella, and E.coli can survive in chlorinated water for days, the CDC says.

Even “if another person swallows even a small amount of that contaminated water, they can get sick. Germs can also get in the water from small amounts of poop rinsing off swimmers’ butts,” the CDC added.

While chlorine and bromine can kill most germs within minutes, experts say that a person can still be exposed in the time it takes for the disinfectant to kill the germs. Some of the bacteria can live for up to 45 minutes in a properly chlorinated pool, or, in the case of the crypto parasite, up to 10 days.

It’s also not advised to vacuum the stool from the pool.

Experts say you should remove fecal matter from a pool using disposable gloves, a bucket, or a net. Then, the pool needs to be highly chlorinated to shock the bacteria, with a level of 7.5 pH at a temperature of 77 degrees for at least 13 hours.

Once the disinfection is complete, replace filtration cartridges or backwash the filter to waste.