At Least 72 People Got Sick After Swimming at a Minnesota Campground, Officials Say

A Minnesota campground seems to be behind an apparent outbreak of water-borne parasitic illness, public health officials said. Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) officials confirmed last week that three people tested positive for cryptosporidiosis after visiting Shades of Sherwood Campground in Zumbrota. (One person also tested positive for E. coli.) In an update posted Friday, MDH officials said they have identified 72 people with symptoms consistent with cryptosporidiosis or E. coli, though most of these illnesses have not been laboratory-confirmed. Cryptosporidiosis is typically contracted after ingesting water that has been contaminated by Cryptosporidium, a parasite that often ends up in recreational waters via fecal matter, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Symptoms such as watery diarrhea, stomach cramps, nausea, fever and vomiting typically last one to two weeks, though the disease can become serious or fatal for those with compromised immune systems, the CDC says. Shades of Sherwood temporarily closed and hyper-chlorinated its swimming pool to rid it of possible Cryptosporidium contamination, and has indefinitely closed its man-made swimming pond since it is more difficult to chemically treat, according to MDH. The campground also posted signs warning visitors not to swim if they have recently had diarrheal illnesses. Representatives from Shades of Sherwood did not immediately respond to TIME’s request for comment. “We ...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized Minnesota onetime Source Type: news