Zumbrota, MN (KROC-AM News) - The Minnesota Department of Health wants to hear from anyone who visited a popular campground near Zumbrota last month. Officials say the health department has identified an outbreak of cryptosporidiosis associated with people who visited the Shades of Sherwood Campground.

Investigators have identified three people who became ill, including one person who required hospitalization and one who had also been infected with a toxin-producing strain of E. Coli bacteria. Investigators say they need to hear from people who came to the campground, regardless of whether they became ill, to better identify the source of the infection and assess the ongoing risk. In making the request, officials note investigators have been unable to obtain some key information from the operators of the campground.

The health department says Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease caused by a microscopic parasite that is spread when people come into contact with fecal matter from an infected person or animal. The parasite is able to survive outside the human body for long periods of time and is highly resistant to chlorine. Officials say there usually 350 to 450 cases of the illness diagnosed in Minnesota each year.

If you have visited Shades of Sherwood during July, please contact the MDH Waterborne Diseases Unit at 651-201-5794.

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