An outbreak of E. coli O157 sickened at least 15 people who swam in Cowans Gap State Park lake in Pennsylvania in mid- to late-July.

Among them was 2-year-old Madisyn Myers, whose mother said she received a clean bill of health Monday after three weeks of illness. The child had diarrhea and a urinary tract infection.

"It's hard to see your child go through that," said Michelle Myers of Hagerstown.

The state closed Cowans Gap State Park's lake to all activities on Aug. 9. It reopened the Fulton County, Pa., lake to boating and fishing last week, but swimming continues to be prohibited.

Michelle Myers said she's leery of visiting the lake in the future.

"It was horrible," she said of her daughter's illness.

Madisyn Myers visited the park with her father and about 20 other people in the last weekend of July, according to her mother. The child was the only person from that group who was sickened.

Madisyn underwent stool and urine samples, catheterization and a day in the hospital. She lost four pounds, but the bacteria did not damage her kidneys as her mother feared.

"Monday was like a celebration for us," Michelle Myers said of receiving good test results.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is now aware of at least 13 people infected with E. coli O157:H7 who swam in the lake at Cowans Gap State Park.

In a brief e-mail statement this afternoon, press aide Thomas Hostetter said the current numbers include six people from Franklin County, four from Lancaster County, and one from Huntingdon County. There are also two Maryland residents who got sick after visiting the park.

Hostetter said the E. coli outbreak at Cowans Gap remains under investigation, and that more updates will be released as they become available.
 

From the I-wish-I-hadn’t-said-that files, Terry Brady, a spokesperson with Pennsylvania’s Department of Conservation and Natural Resources said Monday that the lake at Cowans Gap State Park remained open, despite links to three cases of E. coli O157. “The beaches are open and actually there was a good turnout today. A link to the park has not been established."

The lake was closed Tuesday afternoon, as the number of people, primarily children, confirmed to have contracted E. coli O157:H7 rose to six, with an additional three suspect cases.

At least three of the infected have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, including a 3-year-old Mercersburg girl who has been hospitalized since Wednesday, and a 12-year-old Chambersburg boy, who is now recovering after spending his birthday in the hospital.

Spokesman Brady said in an email Tuesday night that the closing of the lake at Cowans Gap is a precautionary measure "to protect the public's health and safety until the investigation can be completed."

He said the decision was made after interviews showed that swimming in the lake before becoming ill was a common factor between all individuals.

Over the weekend, Nikki Gordon, a friend of the three-year-old’s family and another family friend, Amanda Stauffer, came up with the idea for a Facebook group to raise support. As of Friday evening, the group had 955 members, featuring hundreds of well wishes and regular updates on the girl's condition.

Through her Facebook group, Stauffer has heard from several other people who say their children got sick after swimming in the lake at Cowans Gap, she said. They include a 6-year-old girl, a 15-month-old boy and several children who apparently suffered "mild symptoms" but did not require hospitalization.

"All of these kids have one thing in common, and it's Cowans Gap. The only thing we do know is that they were all there," Stauffer said.