Slovak Public Health Office issues swimming safety alerts for lakes and pools

The Slovak Public Health Office (Úrad verejného zdravotníctva SR) together with the Bratislava regional police warned swimmers about two separate hazards at public bathing sites. Police advised visitors to protect personal belongings by keeping valuables in sight, using locker facilities, carrying only minimal cash or cards, locking bicycles and checking that cars are locked, to reduce the rise in thefts of items left on towels or in vehicles.

The health office also reported that monitoring of water quality across the country identified cyanobacterial (blue‑green algae) blooms in 16 lakes and pools, including the Duchonka reservoir, Malé Leváre, Kanianka and others. These blooms can produce toxins that cause skin irritation, rashes, eye redness, nausea, abdominal pain or vomiting, especially in children, pregnant women, seniors and immunocompromised people. While swimming is not automatically banned, the office urged the public to check the latest water‑quality results before entering and to avoid water that appears green, opaque or has an unusual smell.