Health and Safety at Public Aquatic Facilities: Do You Know How the Model Aquatic Health Code Can Help Reduce Outbreaks, Injuries, and Drowning in Your State and How You Can Drive Future Improvements?

BACKGROUND:  In 2004, CSTE passed a position statement requesting CDC to convene an expert workshop to develop recommendations to reverse the increasing incidence of outbreaks associated with public aquatic venues (e.g., swimming pools and hot tubs/spas). Workshop attendees recommended that CDC lead a national coalition of public health and aquatics sector experts to create an open-access, data-driven model national code that state and local health departments could voluntarily adopt to minimize the risk for illness and injury associated with public aquatic venues. After 7 years of multi-stakeholder collaboration, involving over 150 volunteers, the 2014 MAHC (1st Edition) was released in August 2014. The MAHC is the first all-inclusive, all-hazards national model aquatic code to provide the foundation for future outbreak, injury, and drowning risk–reduction efforts. Workshop attendees also recommended regularly updating the MAHC to maintain its utility and relevance.

METHODS:  To keep the MAHC up to date with the latest surveillance and study data and aquatics sector innovations, the non-profit, Council for the MAHC (CMAHC) was created to solicit national input on MAHC improvements. The CMAHC process is analogous to the process set up for the Conference for Food Protection to help with updating FDA’s Model Food Code.

RESULTS:  The first CMAHC Biennial Conference was held in 2015 with ~160 change requests being voted on by membership. CDC accepted 84 (91%) of the 92 MAHC change requests that the CMAHC membership passed when developing the 2016 MAHC (2nd Edition), which was released in July 2016. In preparation for the 2018 MAHC (3rd edition), 180 change requests have been received by CMAHC and the second CMAHC Biennial Conference will be held in 2017.

CONCLUSIONS:  CSTE members can engage in the MAHC update process through participation in CMAHC. Building robust epidemiology, environmental health, and aquatic sector partnerships can help promote discussions of and suggestions for MAHC improvements. Increased utilization of public health data can be used to drive future updates in the MAHC that would improve future risk-reduction efforts at public aquatic venues.