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'" ARIZONA REPUBLIC e Copyright 1994, The Arizon1'l Republic Mystery illness at Canyon 88 cases spur probe of Colorado River By Karin Schill Special for The Arizona Republic FLAGSTAFF - Local health officials fcar that a virus IIlay be contaminating the Colorado River in the Grand Canyon, causing scores of river rafters In get sick with an illness similar to the stomach flu. Authorities are urging anyone us- ing the river to take precautions while officials investigate why 88 people since late June have come down with Ihe sudden illness. All were rafting 011 the Colorado in Grand Canyon National Park when they suffered heavy vomiting, diar- rhea, or both, according to officials with the Coconino County Depart- ment of Health. Sixty,six of the sick rafters were tourists and 22 were river guides. "That's a lot of cases in a relatively short period of time," said Marlene Gaither, a senior environment;]l. health specialist with the county. "If there's something in the water, we IIccd to find out about it. When it's 100 degrees on the river and you ~ Scc_MYSlERV, r~'gl' ,\ 24 UTAH Lalee Powell , ~L..SF.;ry.r"opa~ 398 Ai I" 'j9~ [Zi) GRAND CANYON f 'I ~! NATIQNAL PARK ' _ ~ L ~7 ;')~ ,I.. ,r"', \ ,\'1, . "I"( r) "" L . ,-/ 'V' \ Iii', ,'" 1'-"", I , ,\.. . Phanlo~ Ranch "j-..... ~~ . ',~---..' i \ .1, CO\Of . :-'" " \ ,,~ ~64 lA',) U60) , '\._ _.~. Diamond Creek . Phuenix, A..ir,nn:t Saturday, August'6, 1994 A24 The Arizona Republic 20mUes - 20km I' Saturday, August 6, 1994 Gus WalkerfThe Arizona Republic Mystery illness at Grand Canyon - MYSTERY, from page A 1 ,~ ~' t"f vomit and have diarrhea, you can dehydrate pretty easily - that's what we're concerned about." There is no evidence so far that this summer's outbreak is caused by the river, Gaither said. But because water is the only common link between those who [ell ill, a watcr.bornc virus appears to be the culprit, she said, Of the 17 commercial rafting companies operating in the park, 13 reported having cases of the illness in July, Partidpants in a river research trip also came down with the illness, which comes on suddenly and lasts one to three days, No emergency evacuations' of the sick people were necessary. Most continued on the rafting trips, and the illnesses were reported later. The National Park Service has alerted all commercial and private river runners q(Jhe..ou.tbjeak, .urging them to be extra careful until it's known what's causing the illness, park spokeswoman Maureen Oltrogge said, Tourists are told never to drink untreated water and guides are reminded to filter and disinfect any river water that is used, Even rinsing an apple in river water should be avoided. "We're very concerned," Oltrogge said. "This is not something we normally hear about." Owners. of several F1agstatT~based rafting companies that have reported iJlnesses declined to comment until they know what is causing the outbreak. They said they're supplying tne county Health Department with information that may help solve the problem. Rafting trips on the Colorado River draw 20,000 tourists each year. The trips last from a few days to a few weeks and cover up to 280 miles of deep canyon waterway. An expedition, which will include water,quality experts from the state and county health agencies and Park Service, is expected to travel down the Colorado later this month to take water samples at different points. Gaither said the virus could come from human waste that has not been disposed of properly, Earlier this week, a fecal sample from a sick river guide was sent to the Arizona Department of Health Ser, vices for screening. It will later be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta for further testing, Gaither said, The last known illness outbreak on the Colorado River was caused by bacterial dysentery in the late 1970$. Since then, regulations on how to use river water and how to dispose of human waste have been strengthened. Susan Cherry, a ranger who issues river permits at Grand Canyon National Park, cautioned that filtering and disinfecting water still won't guarantee against an illness if the river has been contaminated. Despite getting careful instructions, many tourists just don't realize the dangers, Cherry said. "The outfitters have to provide potable water, but whether the cus, tomer dips his cup in the (river) water, you never know," she said, "Or, it could be an instant where someone brushed his teeth in the river. Nobody can watch them 24 hours a day."