A Blue Ridge Rock Festival outbreak has sickened concertgoers in Virginia, according to the Virginia Department of Health and news reports. Public health officials are asking that anyone who attended that event, which was supposed to be held September 5 through September 10, 2023, to complete an online survey, even if they didn’t get sick, to help them solve this outbreak.
The Southside Health District of the Virginia Department of Health is leading the investigation. The festival was canceled two days early, allegedly because of weather conditions. It was held at the Virginia International Raceway located at 1245 Pine Tree Road in Alton, Virginia.
10 News got “hundreds of messages” about the festival from patrons who said that there were unsanitary and unsafe conditions at the event, including overflowing ports potties and trash cans.
One attendee told 10 News that she was diagnosed with “enteropathogenic E. coli” after visiting the fair. That is not Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), which can cause kidney failure. Enteropathogenic E. coli, like STEC, is found in the guts of ruminant animals and sickens people when the animal’s feces contaminates food and water.
That news article also mentions that people allegedly tested positive for Giardia, a parasite that also causes diarrheal illness. Most Giardia outbreaks are related to water parks.
The survey from VDH asks attendees if they stayed in the on-site campground, if they filled up a water bottle while there, or they went into the Dan River. It also asks about food eaten at the Festival. We do not know the number of people sickened, illness onset dates, the patient age range, or if anyone has been hospitalized.
If you visited that festival and have been sick with the symptoms of an E. coli infection or Giardia, see your doctor. You may be part of this Blue Ridge Rock Festival outbreak.
If you have been sickened with a food poisoning infection after attending the Blue Ridge Rock Festival in Virginia, please contact our experienced attorneys for help with a possible lawsuit at 1-888-377-8900 or text us at 612-261-0856. Our firm represents clients in lawsuits against grocery stores, restaurants, and food processors.
