Health officials said Saturday that they have confirmed more than 100 additional cases of an illness that’s causing cramps, diarrhea, nausea, fever and chills among visitors to this resort area.
The number of people suffering from the gastrointestinal illness has risen to 510, up from 378 documented cases Friday, Ohio Department of Health spokesman Jay Carey said Saturday. Interviews with 168 more people are pending, he said.
Investigators from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are helping county and state officials in their attempt to pinpoint the cause of the illness on Lake Erie’s South Bass Island, sometimes called the “Key West of the Midwest.”
The Ohio Department of Health has confirmed cases of salmonella, norovirus and campylobacter among the victims, said spokesman Kristopher Weiss.
All three germs have symptoms that match the outbreak. Campylobacter is one of the most common bacterial causes of diarrhea and is usually caused by eating or handling undercooked or raw chicken, according to the CDC.