1,000 runners become sickened by contaminated mud after race
By Caroline Leopold 2 mins ago in Odd News .
About 1,000 mud run enthusiasts at an event in Levens, France became sick with stomach illness symptoms. The ailments are believed to be caused by norovirus, a highly infectious disease.
Participants in a mud run have gotten more than dirty from slogging through a muddy obstacle course. An estimated 1,000 people became sick to their stomachs after running in an event in the south of France.
French authorities had counted about 1,000 illness complaints of the more than 8,400 people involved in the run in France on June 20 reported symptoms of acute gastroenteritis, according to a UPI report.
The agency said the stomach symptoms, including vomiting, diarrhea, and fever, were probably caused by norovirus, a highly infectious disease that causes an inflammation of the stomach or intestines.
Norovirus is a leading cause of gastroenteritis in the world and is transmitted through contaminated water or food, or by touching contaminated surfaces, says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials do not know how the runners contracted the virus, but some doctors reported some patients did not eat any food at the event, The Local.fr reported.
Runners may have consumed mud contaminated with the virus along the race course, possibly through the presence of fecal matter in the mud. Runners visited Mud Day's Facebook page and exchange information. Some complained that parts of the course smelled distinctly of horse manure.
The Mud Day organizers say they are investigating the situation.
Another instance of an infectious disease outbreak happened in the U.S. in 2012. The CDC determined that 22 people became ill after inadvertently swallowing muddy water during the race. The infectious agent was believed to be campylobacteriosis, which causes bloody diarrhea, nausea and vomiting.
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