An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis has occurred among people who visited the Shades of Sherwood Campground in Zumbrota, Minnesota. Three people have been sickened in this outbreak; one person has been hospitalized. One of these patients was also infected with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli. Minnesota Department of health investigators want to speak with anyone who has visited the Shades of Sherwood Campground since July 1, 2018, whether or not they have been sick. The press release states that "This step is especially important in this investigation because MDH investigators have been unable to get key information from the facility itself." If you visited that campground during the month of July, please call the MDH Waterborne Diseases Unit at 651-201-5794. Cryptosporidiosis is a … [Read more...]
Legionnaires’ Disease Outbreak Kills 1, Sickens 17 in Hopkins, MN
The Minnesota Department of Health is scrambling to pinpoint the source of a serious outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease that has sickened 17 people who had been living, visiting, or working in Hopkins, Minnesota since August 4th. One of these victims has now died. The person who died was elderly and was one of the previously confirmed patients. Doug Schultz of the Minnesota Department of Health confirmed those numbers. All of the cases were exposed before or during the first full week of September 2016, before the outbreak was identified. The victims, all exposed to the potentially fatal Legionella pneumonia bacteria in the Hopkins vicinity, range in age from their 20s to their 90s; most are elderly or have chronic health conditions. Legionella bacteria are commonly found in the … [Read more...]
