Reasonable Rascal
10-20-02, 00:54
Fair use for education and discussion
http://www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=973084
CHICKASHA, Okla. - More than a dozen people in one oklahoma town are suffering from a mystery illness so severe they're being hospitalized.
Health officials haven't identified what's causing the illness and say it could be contagious.
So far, health officials say 13 people have somehow caught the mystery illness. But because no one knows yet what's causing it, officials say the only safety tip they can give is to wash your hands often.
Many residents here are wondering if they could become the next victims of the mystery illness.
"Sounds pretty scary to me," said Chickasha business owner Beverly Bradford, who says several of her customers are coming in with horror stories.
"This is just really destructive to people, it's really harmful not knowing, or what can you do for it," she said.
Lana Tibbetts is a communicable disease nurse with the Grady County Health Department. She says, "there's not an organism that we can identify, so we don't know what we're dealing with."
While Tibbetts waits for answers, she does know the illness starts in the intestines and has proven to be dangerous.
"This is a very, very bad diarrhea," she said. "It's bloody diarrhea, so, it's very serious."
So, the state health department has stepped in, trying to find the link between 13 patients and the mysterious bug. While food poisoning is one of many possibilities being investigated, some Chickasha residents say a specific restaurant is the talk of the town.
"Evidentally, four or five people checked into the hospital the same night we ate there, so it was really scary," said Betty Peterson, a concerned resident.
"They can get dehydrated real quick," says Tibbetts, who says that's why the elderly are of particular concern. Right now, the patients range in age from 36 to 84. But the fear is more could be on the way.
"We have a lot of senior citizens in this town, it could really hurt," Tibbetts said.
Although health officials haven't yet identified if the mystery illness is food-borne, they can rule out one rumor. They say it's not caused by the water supply. If the water supply were to blame, they say hundreds of people would be sick by now.
Health officials hope to have some answers in the next few days. They say they've had a difficult time collecting test samples large enough to find the cause. Meanwhile, they're following patients' friends and family members, and even other hospital patients to find out if the illness is contagious.
http://www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=973084
CHICKASHA, Okla. - More than a dozen people in one oklahoma town are suffering from a mystery illness so severe they're being hospitalized.
Health officials haven't identified what's causing the illness and say it could be contagious.
So far, health officials say 13 people have somehow caught the mystery illness. But because no one knows yet what's causing it, officials say the only safety tip they can give is to wash your hands often.
Many residents here are wondering if they could become the next victims of the mystery illness.
"Sounds pretty scary to me," said Chickasha business owner Beverly Bradford, who says several of her customers are coming in with horror stories.
"This is just really destructive to people, it's really harmful not knowing, or what can you do for it," she said.
Lana Tibbetts is a communicable disease nurse with the Grady County Health Department. She says, "there's not an organism that we can identify, so we don't know what we're dealing with."
While Tibbetts waits for answers, she does know the illness starts in the intestines and has proven to be dangerous.
"This is a very, very bad diarrhea," she said. "It's bloody diarrhea, so, it's very serious."
So, the state health department has stepped in, trying to find the link between 13 patients and the mysterious bug. While food poisoning is one of many possibilities being investigated, some Chickasha residents say a specific restaurant is the talk of the town.
"Evidentally, four or five people checked into the hospital the same night we ate there, so it was really scary," said Betty Peterson, a concerned resident.
"They can get dehydrated real quick," says Tibbetts, who says that's why the elderly are of particular concern. Right now, the patients range in age from 36 to 84. But the fear is more could be on the way.
"We have a lot of senior citizens in this town, it could really hurt," Tibbetts said.
Although health officials haven't yet identified if the mystery illness is food-borne, they can rule out one rumor. They say it's not caused by the water supply. If the water supply were to blame, they say hundreds of people would be sick by now.
Health officials hope to have some answers in the next few days. They say they've had a difficult time collecting test samples large enough to find the cause. Meanwhile, they're following patients' friends and family members, and even other hospital patients to find out if the illness is contagious.