Does drinking ice water regularly cause bacteria and viruses that cause disease?

Recently, the weather is hot so my family drinks ice water every day. My 8-year-old child often drinks ice water at home, so it is less worrying because the water used to make ice is boiled and cooled, but when going out, he often drinks ice water with soft drinks from many sources that are not guaranteed. What worries me is whether there are any bacteria or viruses in the ice that cause disease, especially for children?

Báo Đồng Nai•22/05/2025

(Ms. Thuy Linh, residing in Buu Long ward, Bien Hoa city)

Doctor replied:

Hello Linh!

If the ice is not hygienic (cheap industrially produced ice, ice that does not meet food standards), there is a risk of contamination with bacteria, viruses, and parasites. Pathogens that can be present in dirty ice include:

Intestinal bacteria: E. coli, Salmonella, Shigella... cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever.
Bacteria that cause meningitis: Listeria monocytogenes (rare but dangerous, especially in young children).
Diarrhea viruses: Norovirus, Rotavirus (easily spread through dirty water).
Parasites: Giardia lamblia… cause prolonged diarrhea.

For children, their immune systems are more susceptible to disease than adults. When drinking ice from a store, the risk of infection is higher if the ice is not hygienic: the ice scooping and storing tools are not clean, the ice is made from unclean water...

Therefore, to ensure your child's safety, you should use clean ice (the type of pure ice that meets food standards). When going out, limit the use of ice if it is not clean, you can replace it with chilled bottled water.

Specialist Doctor 2 Nguyen Van Suu,

Deputy Medical Director, Head of Pediatrics Department, Au Co Hospital