Dozens sickened after visit to Kansas splash pad, CDC study says

.


Dozens of people got sick with gastrointestinal illnesses after visiting a splash park in Goddard, Kansas, last year, according to a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The federal study surveyed 404 people who attended the park between May 28 and June 19, 2021, and found 21 had contracted the Shigella bacteria, while six others were sick with the norovirus after visiting the splash park at Tanganyika Wildlife Park. Another 36 people reported gastrointestinal problems after their visits without getting official diagnoses. At least four people were hospitalized, but no deaths were reported.

BIDEN DECLARES MONKEYPOX OUTBREAK A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY

The sickened guests swallowed water at the park, which had not been properly disinfected, due to “inadequate equipment, and training,” the study said.

The illnesses came from water that stood in a tank overnight instead of being “continuously recirculated, filtered, and chlorinated,” according to the study. Water is supposed to enter the tank after it sprays people in the face. It is then supposed to go through a filtering and disinfecting phase before spraying people again.

The park was closed last year following the outbreak. However, it was reopened one month later after the park made necessary changes to its pump and filtration system and passed a health inspection, according to the Wichita Eagle. Matt Fouts, the director of the park, said the study was not very useful, but he was open to learning from the past.

“It offered little advice for other splash parks besides ensuring you have signage that states ‘don’t swallow the water’ and offered no additional insight into the investigation,” Fouts told the outlet. “Regardless, it did affirm that there have been no additional incidents because we took the situation seriously and found ways to enhance our system and processes so that the Splash Park is safer than ever.”

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

Three lawsuits were filed against the park following the outbreak. Two cases involved a minor, one of which has been settled, and the third involved dozens of people.

Related Content

Related Content