Dozens of people suffered gastrointestinal illnesses after visiting a splash park near Wichita, Kansas, last summer, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study released Friday. The outbreak of the bacteria and virus was linked to the launch park at Tanganyika Wildlife Park in Goddard. The CDC report, based on a survey of 404 people who visited the splash park last year between May 28 and June 19, said 21 people contracted Shigella bacteria and six others became ill with norovirus. At least four people were subsequently hospitalized. Both illnesses were linked to water entering the mouth, according to the report, which confirmed the illnesses were not linked to any of the zoo’s animals. WATER-BORNE INFECTIONS COULD HAPPEN IN SWITZERLANDS, PUBLIC POOLS, LAKES AND OCEANS THIS SUMMER: HERE’S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW At least three lawsuits have been filed against the park, the Wichita Eagle reported. One of them was settled, but two others remain pending. Tanganyika Wildlife Park was linked last summer to an outbreak of bacteria and viruses that resulted in dozens of people falling ill with gastrointestinal illnesses, the CDC said in a new report. (Google Maps) The splash park located about 14 miles west of Wichita was allowed to reopen last July after upgrading its pump and filtration system and passing a health inspection. Wildlife park director Matt Fouts told the newspaper he doesn’t find the study helpful, though “it’s all about analyzing data to learn from the past.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “He offered little advice for other splash parks other than making sure you have signage that says ‘do not swallow the water,’ and offered no additional information about the investigation,” Fouts said. “Regardless, it confirmed that there were no additional incidents because we took the situation seriously and found ways to improve our system and procedures to make Splash Park safer than ever.” The Associated Press contributed to this report.
