Cryptosporidium Lawyer & Attorney : Marler Clark : Cryptosporidium Blog

August 30, 2006
9News.com (Denver, CO)
Jeffrey Wolf

LONE TREE - The Tri-County Health Department is warning people of an outbreak of a bacterium called Cryptosporidium that may be from a pool at the Lone Tree Recreation Center.

The pool was closed because 12 people who went to a birthday party at the center last week came down with diarrhea and stomach cramps, which are symptoms of Cryptosporidium or "Crypto."

There are three confirmed cases of Crypto.

The Tri-County Health Department collected samples from the pool Wednesday morning and the pool workers spent the day chlorinating the pool.

"We want to be precautionary, protect the public, do what we can to be proactive, if there is anything in the pool," said Marc Heirschberg with South Suburban Pools and Recreation.

Authorities plan to reopen the Lone Tree pool Thursday.

The Tri-County Health Department says if your children are experiencing symptoms of Crypto you should not let them go to a pool, school or daycare.

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August 31, 2006
San Jose Mercury News (CA)

San Jose has shut down the fountain at the Plaza de Cesar Chavez because health officials suspect as many as 14 people became sick after playing in the water there.

A news release from the city says the fountain ``was the common denominator'' for five confirmed cases of a cryptosporidium infection and eight to nine unconfirmed cases of salmonella. Both are transmitted by contaminated food or water.

The fountain was closed effective Friday and will remain closed until ``health and safety concerns are addressed,'' according to the release.

Local health officials are conducting tests of the fountain water.

Cryptosporidium test results are expected by Friday.

Cryptosporidium is a parasite and salmonella is a bacteria. Both cause flu-like symptoms including diarrhea, nausea, fever and headache.

City officials say the sand filtration and sanitation systems and manual application of cleansing chemicals are ineffective for preventing both cryptosporidium and salmonella. They are developing recommendations to modify the system in order to ``minimize or eliminate'' outbreaks in the future.

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August 28, 2006
Associated Press

GILLETTE, Wyo. - At least 19 people have now been diagnosed with the parasite cryptosporidium in Campbell and Crook counties, a nearly fourfold increase over the past week.

The parasite causes diarrhea. Outbreaks often are linked to swimming pools and water parks, and the parasite can survive for days even in chlorinated swimming pools.

Last year, only three cases were reported in all of Wyoming, according to Kim Deti, spokeswoman for the Wyoming Department of Health.

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August 20, 2006
Daily Herald (IL)
Joseph Ryan

Six Flags Great America's Hurricane Harbor water park in Gurnee was shut down by the state Friday and Saturday after reports of an intestinal illness in four attendees.

Six Flags hoped to have the water park, which includes 26 slides, wave pools, water playgrounds and river raft rides, re-open today after increased chlorination and follow-up testing.

The Illinois Department of Public Health asked Six Flags to close off the water park following the confirmation that two attendees had cryptosporidiosis, which causes vomiting, diarrhea and death in extreme cases.

The disease is caused by microscopic parasites, and is one of the most common waterborne illnesses in the U.S. The parasites are resistant to chlorine.

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Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (WI)
Mark Johnson

Six Flags Great America's year-old water park, Hurricane Harbor, was closed this weekend after two Wisconsin youths were sickened with the parasite Cryptosporidium and two more were sick and waiting to learn if they have the same illness.

All of the youths, one from Appleton, the others from Door County, had visited the Gurnee, Ill., attraction on Aug. 7.

"What's unknown is whether they came to the park infected with Cryptosporidium or whether they got it here," said Mark Pfister, associate director of environmental health for the Lake County, Ill., Health Department.

The water-borne parasite spreads the disease, cryptosporidiosis, marked by diarrhea, stomach cramps and fever. The symptoms appear after the parasite has been ingested and has incubated for about a week.

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Two sprayparks in Clay County, Missouri are the source of an ongoing Cryptosporidium outbreak, according to health officials.

Marler Clark represents hundreds of people in litigation resulting from a Cryptosporidium outbreak in central New York last summer (visit www.marlerclark.com for more informtation).

Here's an article from today's Kansas City Star on the current outbreak:

Clay County confirms seven cases of contagious illness

17.aug.06
Kansas City Star
Lindsay Hanson Metcalf

Seven cases of an intestinal parasite have been confirmed in Clay County, officials said today.

Clay County Public Health officials said they were notifying area schools and health- and child-care providers about the presence of Cryptosporidium, a parasite that causes diarrhea. An additional six cases among family members were probable, they said

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8/14/2006 6:00 PM
(WROC-TV)

It was one year ago this week when a bacterial contamination forced the spraypark at the Seneca Lake State Park to shut down. The park's been closed every since and state officials tell News 8, they don't know when it will open.

Last summer cryptosporidium sickened more than 3,000 people. As a result, a new ultraviolet water disinfection and filtration system was installed but "kinks" in the system have delayed the park's reopening this summer.

Spray park officials say they still hope to open before the season ends in September.

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(Geneva, N.Y.) - An Ontario County spray park that shut down last year after thousands became sick from contaminated water will not reopen this week as planned.

The Seneca Lake State Park Sprayground has installed ultraviolet lights to kill bacteria that infected visitors. The system has not been tested.

Officials hope to complete testing this week and reopen the park by the end of August.

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12.aug.06
Lawrence Journal-World (KS)
George Diepenbrock

The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department on Friday reported three cases of cryptosporidiosis this month at the same Lawrence child-care facility.

Health officials said they had no indication at this point of an outbreak, as happened in 2003 when 89 cases were reported in Douglas County. Kay Kent, the health department's director, said one case involving a child at the facility was reported Aug. 3, and two more child cases were reported Friday. Two staff members have symptoms, but they are not yet confirmed, she said.

"I don't think at this point we know where they may have gotten it or that it was transmitted person-to-person," Kent said.

The cases involve Princeton Children's Center, 3340 Peterson Road. Since the first case, the facility has excluded all children who have diarrhea and other symptoms until 24 hours after the symptoms disappear, Kent said. The health department staff members also have visited the facility to review hygiene procedures.

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Posted:8/11/2006 5:19:04 PM
Modified:8/11/2006 6:43:53 PM

LAWRENCE, KAN. - The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department is reporting two cases of cryptosporidium in a child care facility in Douglas County. Crypto is a disease that causes diarrhea because of a microscopic parasite which can live in the intestine of humans and animals. Families of the children attending this child care facility have been notified and are receiving information about the disease with recommendations to contact their doctor if symptoms develop.

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Cryptosporidium Infection
Cryptosporidiosis (KRIP-toe-spo-rid-ee-OH-sis)

What is cryptosporidiosis?

Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease caused by microscopic parasites of
the genus Cryptosporidium. Once an animal or person is infected, the
parasite lives in the intestine and passes in the stool. The parasite is
protected by an outer shell that allows chlorine based disinfectants. Both
the disease and the parasite are commonly known as "crypto".
During the past two decades, crypto has become recognized as one of the most
common causes of waterborne disease within humans in the United States. The
parasite may be found in drinking water and recreational water in every
region of the United States and throughout the world.

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Dated: 08/03/2006

Lake Erie swimmers are finding more and more signs popping up on the beach warning of unsafe water. The Ohio Environmental Council says the bacteria levels have gotten out of control and something has to be done.

Already this summer at Camp Perry Beach, which is just a few miles West of Port Clinton, nine warning signs have been put up that the water isn't safe.

"It's very important for residents to know because you're swimming in raw sewage," said David Celebrezze, Ohio Environmental Council. "Some of this bacteria includes E.Coli, Hepatitis A, Cryptosporidium, and Giardia. They're parasites and bacteria and can be very harmful to us."

Celebrezze says the parasites and bacteria are coming from combined sewage overflow.

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BRADLEY WAKOFF / bwakoff@greeleytribune.com
Emma Schmautz
August 8, 2006

Michelle Harper, 36, of Greeley was 5 when she began spending Colorado's hot summer days swimming at Greeley's Centennial Pool.

Now, 31 years later, Centennial pool lost its high dive but gained a giant green slide and expanded to include a larger pool and children's splash area.

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By Elizabeth Neff
The Salt Lake Tribune

Shirleen Tingey, a lab technician, analyst, and sampler for Davis County's Health Department in Farmington, looks for bacteria Friday in samples of pool water. (Trent Nelson/The Salt Lake Tribune )

In his years helping to police water quality in Davis County pools, Delane McGarvey has seen changes for the better.

Since the mid-1990s the state has required public pools to have certified operators - a measure that includes mandatory water safety testing, training and record keeping.

Even so, McGarvey says the county closed a record number of pools last year due to water standard violations. In 2005, 78 pools were closed, well above annual numbers in the 20s in years past.

A Salt Lake Tribune review of Davis County pool water inspection records from the past 18 months shows the best water quality is at public pools and swim schools, where just over one-quarter of facilities had water quality violations.

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10.aug.06

Missoula Missoulian (MT)

MISSOULA - Six confirmed cryptosporidium cases - two of them more epidemiologically linked - have been received by the Missoula City-County Health Department during the last week and a half.

Crypto is a diarrheal disease caused by a microscopic parasite similar to Giardia. Once an animal or person is infected the parasite lives in the intestine and passes in the stool.

The eight Missoula crypto cases have been exposed to many different recreational water sources during the 2 to 12 days prior to their onset of illness. The health department has been unable to identify a single common source.

The parasite is protected by a tough outer shell that allows it to survive outside the body for long periods of time and makes it very resistant to chlorine-based disinfectants meaning it can survive for days even in swimming pools with adequate chlorine levels. The chlorine levels continue to be effective against bacteria and viruses including norovirus.

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By ELIZABETH NEFF and CAREY HAMILTON
Salt Lake Tribune

In triple-digit temperatures, there are few things more appealing than a dip in a crystal-clear pool.

Focused on cooling down and keeping the kids occupied for a few hours, many don't think twice about skipping the showers and just jumping in. But federal health officials say they should -- the spread of recreational water illnesses is on the rise nationally.

Most recreational water illnesses enter water through fecal matter, and spread through contact or swallowing contaminated water.

Exposure to the five most common bugs -- cryptosporidium, E-coli, giardia, shigella and Hepatitis A -- usually results in diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). But it can also mean skin rashes and ear or respiratory infections.

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William Marler (Bill) is the managing partner in the law firm Marler Clark L.L.P., P.S. Since 1993, Bill has represented thousands of victims of E. coli, Salmonella, Hepatitis A, Listeria, Shigella, Campylobacter and Norovirus illnesses in over thirty States.

Food poisoning lawsuits against companies responsible for introducing contaminated food into our food supply have become the focus of Bill's professional career as an attorney. Bill's first client who was injured after consuming contaminated food was nine-year-old Brianne Kiner, who fell with an E. coli O157:H7 infection and Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome after eating a contaminated hamburger during the now-infamous Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak of 1993. Bill negotiated a $15.6 million settlement for Brianne's injuries, a record in the State of Washington for personal injury cases. He resolved several other cases from the Jack in the Box E. coli outbreak for over $2.5 million each.

Bill, known as the "E. coli lawyer," has since represented thousands of people sickened or killed in outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7 and other food borne pathogens, including Salmonella, Hepatitis, Shigella, Campylobacter, Norovirus, and Listeria. In 1998, he negotiated a reported $12 million settlement for the families of children who fell ill after drinking E. coli-contaminated apple juice sold by Odwalla; and in 2001, a jury awarded the families of eleven children Bill represented $4.6 million for the injuries they received during an E. coli outbreak traced to school lunch served at Finley Elementary School in Finley, Washington. He also resolved dozens of E. coli cases in 2003 related to one of the largest meat recalls in United States history. Bill recently settled an E. coli case in New York for a young girl for $11 million. Bill was also able to secure a $6.25 million settlement on behalf of a client who suffered a kidney transplant as part of the Chi-Chi's Hepatitis A outbreak.

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