A number of people say they were sick over the weekend while camping at Waterloo’s Laurel Creek Conservation Area, but it’s unclear exactly what caused the illness.
Amber Hutchinson was there with 15 members of her family, and despite not drinking local water, swimming or eating the same food, they all got sick.
“A lot of people were going home at three o’clock in the morning, four o’clock, six o’clock in the morning, and it just wiped our whole family out.”
Hutchinson and her daughter are both feeling better after dealing with the same illness with symptoms including vomiting and diarrhea.
She says a member of park staff told her it was the same situation for many other campers.
The Grand River Conservation Authority (GRCA) and Waterloo Public Health say they are investigating.
They are asking anyone else who may have been sick at Laurel Creek over the weekend to contact them.
He adds that the GRCA has heard of similar cases at Pinehurst Lake.
Dave Schultz of the GRCA says “We’ve had about 50 or 60 people report being ill with diarrhea and vomiting. Most of them have been children.”
Brant County Public Health believes the issue there may have been someone already infected with the Norwalk Virus defecating into the water and thereby spreading it to other campers.
While many are still diving in at Laurel Creek, news about the illness has some staying on dry land. But Hutchinson says the ordeal won’t stop her from returning.
