Authorities said they may never be able to determine the cause of the explosion. Outbreak.
In a statement, authorities said environmental pollution from “heavy rains, livestock, malfunctioning septic systems, boat discharge and swimmers” are potential causes of the illness in waters like Lake Anna, and warned against swimming in areas where livestock are present.
The statement said 25 people, mostly minors, were infected, up five from Tuesday, and that five children were hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a serious complication of E. coli infection that is often treated with blood transfusions and dialysis.
Parents with sick children are still clamoring for an explanation, including Judy Inglett, whose 15-year-old daughter Ava was released from hospital on Friday after 10 days there.
“Someone needs to be held accountable for this,” Judy Inglett said.
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Escherichia coli (E. coli) infections are spread through water or food contaminated with animal or human waste. Symptoms of infection with harmful strains of E. coli include stomach cramps, watery or bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever, and chills.
The health department has set up a website about the outbreak with updates on the ongoing investigation and guidance instructing health care workers to maintain a low threshold for testing for people with diarrhea who have been in Lake Anna since Memorial Day. Officials said anyone with diarrhea should contact their local health department and arrange to be tested at a state lab.
Officials reiterated urging people to take the usual safety precautions when swimming in the lake: don’t drink untreated water or swim with cuts, don’t swim if you’re vomiting or have diarrhea, shower after swimming to wash away germs, and wash your hands frequently, especially after using the toilet and before preparing or eating food, public health officials said.
Children under the age of 5, older adults and people with underlying medical conditions are at higher risk of getting sick from open water, like pool water, which is not sanitized and is therefore more likely to have bacteria present.
“Even if sample testing shows the water is ‘safe’ for swimming, people should be aware that any contact with natural waters, including swallowing untreated water or swimming with an open wound, may pose a health risk,” the health department’s website says.
staff The Department of Environmental Quality took six samples from three locations on the lake on Tuesday to test for E. coli levels. Samples were taken from a sandbar near the confluence with Goldmine Creek, the waters adjacent to a state park and the Cocktail Cove Sandbar.
Health department spokesman Larry Hill said more tests have been added and samples will be taken again on Monday and June 25.
Many of those who have fallen ill recently reported wading through waist-deep water on the sandbar, which can get crowded on summer weekends and holidays.
Lake Anna State Park includes approximately 10 miles of shoreline along Lake Anna, a 13,000-acre reservoir in the center of the triangle formed by Charlottesville, Fredericksburg and Richmond.
The 15-mile-long reservoir was built in the early 1970s by what is now Dominion Energy to provide recreational areas and a cooling pond for its North Anna Power Station nuclear power plant.
According to the Lake Anna Civic Association, the cool side is about 9,400 acres in size and is open to the public, while the warm or private side, which includes the waste heat treatment facility, is about 3,400 acres in size.
The vast lake, which is bordered by Louisa County to the south, Orange County to the northwest and Spotsylvania to the north, is known for harmful algal blooms, but officials say the algal activity is normal for this time of year and is unrelated to the recent spike in E. coli infections.
