13WHAM-TV reports that the number of stomach illnesses linked to the sprayground water park at Seneca Lake Park in Geneva has grown to 800 cases; about 100 of those cases are children from Monroe County; others are from surrounding counties, other states, Mexico, and Canada.
On Wednesday, the state announced that the sprayground part of the park was closed for the season.
Officials are still testing water from the spray park and the filtration system and from the lake to determine what made people sick. The Ontario County Health Department is urging anyone with a sick child who had visited the spray park to see their doctor and report the illness.
Most of those who are sick are children who played in the park and ingested the water. Their parents said they thought it was simply a case of the stomach flu, until they heard about the other illnesses.
One mother said she was surprised the illnesses were linked to water from the spray park rather than the lake, because the park water is chlorinated. The concessions in the park are also closed until they rule out any link to the food.
Health officials are looking at other common denominators, but so far, it appears the spray park connects most of those who got sick.
Dr. Andrew Doniger, director of the Monroe County Health Department, said “Almost everyone that is ill says that they were in the spray, so that seems to be the culprit, but we don’t know for sure.”
The health department is urging all families who visited the park and have sick children to report the illnesses.