A fun day at the lake shouldn't end in a trip to the emergency room. However, one Virginia lake is under investigation after several children ended up in the hospital. They had visited the lake over Memorial Day weekend.
Fast forward a couple of days and several children ended up at Children's National Hospital, severely sick. They all visited Lake Anna around the same time. Speaking with 7News, several parents opened up about their children's illnesses. They all experienced severe illness due to E. Coli.
One mother Judy Inglett told the outlet that her 15-year-old daughter became deathly ill after going to Lake Anna for the day.
"She left on that Friday on that weekend she was fine. And now she is fighting for her life," said Inglett. At the hospital, her daughter ended up needing two rounds of dialysis. Her kidneys are shutting down. "She has been diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome. She's in kidney failure."
Now, the mother is warning other families to stay away. "I wouldn't even let my dogs swim in that lake. There is definitely something going on it's not safe," said Inglett. "Hide your family from that lake." Meanwhile, Nate Hiner's 8-year-old twins are also in the hospital. He said one daughter needed a blood and platelet transfusion. They also had visited the Virginia lake.
E. Coli Outbreak Possible
"It's terrifying to just go from having a fun day at the lake to potentially needing dialysis in an 8-year-old. It's just unfathomable to think of as a parent," said Hiner.According to the outlet, several people who live near the lake said they aren't surprised about the potential E. Coli outbreak at the lake. They explained that boaters will often use the bathroom in the lake. This would lead to contamination in the water for swimmers.
As of now, officials are testing the waters at the lake. The Virginia lake is part of an ongoing investigation with the state's health department to confirm the source of the E. Coli outbreak.
"We hope that those hospitalized continue to recover and can return home to their families soon," Dr. Olugbenga O. Obasanjo, the Rappahannock Health District health director, said in a statement. "This is an ongoing investigation with the health department, and we will likely continue to learn about the situation in the coming days."
