Orange County health officials are currently investigating a cluster of illnesses that appear to be connected to Walt Disney World’s “Wild Africa Trek” experience, an exclusive tour where guests get up close and personal with wildlife at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
According to Dain Weister, a spokesman for the Orange County Health Department, there are “several dozens of cases” among visitors who took the tour in June and July, although the source of the illness remains a mystery.
Weister also said:
It appears to be some kind of stomach bug. It could be food-borne, it could be water-borne, it could be something that’s passed on person-to-person, it could be something that’s picked up by surface.
Currently, Disney has taken several precautionary measures including deep cleaning surfaces guests come in contact with as well as distributing hand sanitizers and emphasizing the importance of hand-washing to both guests and park employees.
The health department was alerted to the mysterious outbreak on June 11, and have interviewed hundreds of guests who took the tour. The majority of guests interviewed didn’t go to the doctor and were better in 2 to 5 days, believing it was a simple stomach bug.
While the cause of the illness remains to be found, health officials believe this isn’t a widespread illness but confined only to the Animal Kingdom tour. We’ll update you when we have further information to share.
