Toddler recovering from E. coli illness at Cowans Gap lake

An outbreak of E. coli O157 sickened at least 15 people who swam in Cowans Gap State Park lake in Pennsylvania in mid- to late-July.

Among them was 2-year-old Madisyn Myers, whose mother said she received a clean bill of health Monday after three weeks of illness. The child had diarrhea and a urinary tract infection.

"It’s hard to see your child go through that," said Michelle Myers of Hagerstown.

The state closed Cowans Gap State Park’s lake to all activities on Aug. 9. It reopened the Fulton County, Pa., lake to boating and fishing last week, but swimming continues to be prohibited.

Michelle Myers said she’s leery of visiting the lake in the future.

"It was horrible," she said of her daughter’s illness.

Madisyn Myers visited the park with her father and about 20 other people in the last weekend of July, according to her mother. The child was the only person from that group who was sickened.

Madisyn underwent stool and urine samples, catheterization and a day in the hospital. She lost four pounds, but the bacteria did not damage her kidneys as her mother feared.

"Monday was like a celebration for us," Michelle Myers said of receiving good test results.

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About Douglas Powell

A former professor of food safety and the publisher of barfblog.com, Powell is passionate about food, has five daughters, and is an OK goaltender in pickup hockey. Download Doug’s CV here. Dr. Douglas Powell editor, barfblog.com retired professor, food safety 3/289 Annerley Rd Annerley, Queensland 4103 dpowell29@gmail.com 61478222221 I am based in Brisbane, Australia, 15 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time