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Jul 17, 2008 10:16 pm US/Central
Disease Could Be Linked To Fort Worth Lake
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 / TXA 21) ―
Officials with Tarrant County Public Health say Burger's Lake, a popular swimming hole and park in Fort Worth, is closed because of a health scare. The lake is being investigated for a link to cryptosporidiosis, a waterborne illness known to cause diarrhea and other symptoms.
At a news conference Thursday morning, Public Health officials said eight adults have contracted the disease since June 21. While Burger's Lake is not definitely the source of the illnesses, Public Health officials say all eight swam in the lake since June 21.
Two of the people who were infected were hospitalized for two to three days each, but both have since been released. Dozens more cases are being investigated.
CBS 11 spoke with two people who fell ill after swimming there.
Click here to see the interviews. Laboratory findings will be used to determine if the illness is indeed connected to the Fort Worth lake, and what measures the community and the facility can take to contain the possible outbreak. Health officials say they expect to get those test results back on Saturday.
Burger's Lake is a park that features a one-acre spring-fed lake. Health officials say the water is chlorinated, but not at the high concentrations needed to kill the cryptosporidium parasite. In addition, health officials say that the lake's sandy bottom provides a good hiding place for the parasite.
Health officials say Burger's Lake voluntarily closed on Wednesday because of the investigation and the park's owners are cooperating in the investigation.
Tarrant County Public Health officials say if you went swimming at Burger's Lake after June 21 and are experiencing diarrhea or other gastrointestinal symptoms, you should contact your doctor and get tested for cryptosporidiosis.
Tarrant County Health officials offer these guidelines to prevent infection:Help protect yourself, your family and others in recreational swimming areas.
-- Do not swim when you are ill with diarrhea or for two weeks after your diarrhea has stopped. Cryptosporidium is chlorine resistant.
-- Do not swallow the water when you swim or wade in pool/lake/river water. Avoid getting water in your mouth.
-- Practice good hygiene (i.e., shower before swimming).
-- Please take children on bathroom breaks or check diapers often. Waiting to hear "I need to go," may mean that it is too late.
-- Please change diapers in a bathroom or a diaper-changing area and not at poolside.
-- Germs can be spread to surfaces and objects in and around the pool and cause illness.
-- Please wash children thoroughly (especially in the diaper region) with soap and water before swimming.
In household, day-care facilities and other settings, use proper hygiene.
-- Wash hands regularly, especially after using the bathroom and before preparing food. Hand washing is the most effective means of preventing Cryptosporidium transmission.
-- Observe children as they wash their hands and assist when needed.
-- Wash children's hands when they arrive at day care, after they use the toilet, after having their diaper changed and before eating snacks or meals.
-- Wash hands after changing diapers.
-- Take extra care to wash hands and clean surfaces if caring for someone with diarrhea, especially diaper-or-toddler-age children.
NOTE: Cryptosporidium is not killed by alcohol gels and hand sanitizers. Soap and clean running water are specifically recommended for preventing cryptosporidiosis.
Click here for more information about cryptosporidiosis from the Centers For Disease Control.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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