SPOTSYLVANIA, Va. — The Virginia Health Department released their latest water test results from Lake Anna, Thursday afternoon. This is the second round of testing done at the lake, after dozens of people, mostly children, got sick after swimming in the lake over Memorial Day weekend.
As of June 20, the VDH says 25 Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) cases have been confirmed, with more than 75% of those cases being in children and patients under the age of 18. STEC is known to progress to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which officials say can cause issues with kidneys and other organs, and even lead to kidney failure.
On June 11 and June 17, the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, collected water samples at Lake Anna.
The results from both test samples, indicated that fecal bacteria concentrations (levels of bacteria associated with human or animal waste) in the water samples were well below a level of public health concern, according to the VDH.
"We have now received two rounds of water sampling back which are not indicating that the fecal bacteria in the water is at an elevated level of concern," said Allison Balmes-John, the Population Health Manager for the Rappahannock Health District.
WUSA9 ask Balmes-John if they believe the E coli outbreaks are connected to Lake Anna, igiven that the report says "lake water is the likely source."
"We believe that the cases are connected to swimming in the lake," she said. "We are still doing due diligence to investigate if there was a common restaurant that everyone ate at or that sort of thing, but swimming at the lake has been a common thread, so I think it's safe to say we're tying it back to the lake water over Memorial Day weekend specifically."
The VDH say this testing does have some limitation. While it can provide clues about the water environment and the fecal contamination levels, it does not confirm whether the type of E. coli that causes severe illness, is present in Lake Anna.
"So at this point we're really trying to put out a lot of messaging about how we can stay safe this summer, especially when swimming in natural bodies of water," said Balmes-John.
To prevent illness when swimming and boating in natural waters, the VDH says people should:
- Never drink untreated water, and don’t swim if skin has cuts or open wounds. Natural waters such as rivers, lakes, and oceans contain germs and contaminants, which can cause illness.
- Wash their hands after using the bathroom and before preparing and eating food.
- Avoid swimming if they are vomiting or have diarrhea.
- Avoid going in water if there is a green film on the water and keep pets out as well. This may indicate an algal bloom and some algae produce toxins that can make people sick.
- Shower or bathe after swimming to wash off possible germs and contaminants.
- Avoid swimming for three days after heavy rain. Germs can come from overflowing sewage, polluted storm water & runoff from land.
- Properly dispose of human waste by discharging boat sewage at marinas with a pump-out unit or dump station.
Balmes-John says these precautions extend beyond Lake Anna.
"People should exercise caution, but I don't know that we should we just be looking at Lake Anna," Balmes-John said. "I think especially as we have holidays coming up like the 4th of July, where a lot of people travel, bodies of water can get very crowded. You think about all of these bodies in natural body of water it's going to increase your risk a little. So, I think just doing a little bit of risk assessment with what plans you're making, when you're going to our lakes, rivers and oceans, I think it's a good reminder to exercise caution."
A map of the six sampled areas and the test results is available on the VDH outbreak website. VDH officials will provide future updates on the outbreak website on Tuesdays and Thursdays.