If you had the pleasure of going on the upgrade experience ‘Wild Africa Trek‘ at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in June or July, you might have taken home an unwelcome guest with you. The Orange County Health System and Walt Disney World report that a stomach bug was causing violent illnesses in many guests who just just been on the adventure experience.
While contracting a bug on vacation is not all that common, it’s not unheard of either. All it takes is one sick person touching a common surface and that other guests then interact with. Even that’s not enough, it turns out guests who went on the ‘Wild Africa Trek’ but used either hand sanitizer or frequently washed their hands, did not develop the symptoms.
Since learning of the outbreak Disney has added extra hand sanitizer stations and performed a thorough cleaning of surfaces and equipment and the bug has gone away. The County has also inspected the kitchens where the food for Wild Africa Trek is prepared and found no problems.
The lesson here is to maintain healthy cleanliness habits even when on vacation. And if you’re not feeling well, particularly with a stomach bug, please don’t come and spread your germs to everyone else.
Would you change you vacation plans if your cruise ship or theme park experience had just reported an outbreak of illness?
(via CF News 13)
My sister and I visited Animal Kingdom on June 11th, we both have had bronchitis and upper respiratory infection. We are on our 2nd week of illness and we both are just starting to feel a little better. I haven’t been this sick in years. I just saw the article on the news regarding a stomach virus during this time. I am continually using hand sanitizer but feel we picked this illness from there.
My daughter got a fever and stomach pains on our cruise last week for one day. She and I spent the day in our cabin. It was the right thing to do so no one else would get sick.
This is why we carry hand sanitizer on us when we go to the parks and use them before we eat and after any high-touch areas. You just can’t trust sick people to not go out and about.
Just came home from Disney 7/27. We went to Animal Kingdom during our visit but did not take this tour.
I woke up to start my trip home feeling horrible including abdominal pain and diarrhea. The two flights home and bus rides was painful. While waiting in Atlanta on a layover I saw on TV that others were having problems after leaving Disney.
I think mine came from some bad chicken I ate the last night I was there.
this is why I am constantly telling my children not to touch the railings while waiting in lines. We carry wet naps and wipe down the handles on any ride before enjoying it. It amazes me how many children I saw not just rubbing their hands on things but their mouths! The worst was when my 6yr old pointed out the little boy hanging on the trash can and rubbing his mouth on the lid!
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So no one here got sick from this tour? Considering the number of people that go through this – sounds pretty safe still.
By the way — While this may be a virus, all the hand sanitizer and anti bacterial crap is what is making these bacteria stronger, more resistant.
I DID do the Wild Africa Trek in end of the June and I recall the tour guides giving us sanitizers. They were careful with everything they did and the tour itself was worth the money I paid for it . I’m careful about touching just about anything anyway. But we didn’t get sick. The food on the tour was delish and neither of us experienced any diarrhea or stomach problems. I’m more inclined to believe it’s more that SICK people visit Disney and go on the tour, spreading their germs, than Disney making people sick. OR people try foods their stomach isn’t used to and get sick! Also, the likelihood of airborne bacteria/virus/germ spreading among visitors is a risk, like with any other vacation hot spot.
I went to Animal Kingdom yesterday- 7/28 and I did not go on the tour. I ended up with stomach pains and diarrhea. My 6 yr old just had diarrhea this morning but no pains. We were a group of 8. So far nobody else has had any complaints. Truly crossing my fingers considering we have 2 other parks to go to and a week left for our departure.
We went to Animal Kingdom on June 29 and we all started cramping up on Saturday. My daughter was the first out of 6 to start getting sick. We at at Yaki Yeti and and my husband and I had the Honey Chicken and our daughter, son, and daughter friend along with us wound up sick. For a 12 day trip we were all sick for 8 day. This was a nightmare. It was our children’s first trip to Disney and it wound up being horrible. I hope that Disney will do what they can to make it right when I get all the paper work filed. We also had vacation insurance to hope this will help too. I do not know. I know that Disney is trying to make it right.
While we did not visit Animal Kingdom, our trip to Disney has had a turn for the worst with 3 out of party of 5 being struck down with varying levels of this illness. All complaining of the same symptoms – flu symptoms, abdominal pains, vomiting etc, with the worst of our party being hospitalised. Would be interested to find out if there is a department that is coordinating these reports and indicating whether there have been any escalated cases that we should be wary of.
just got back from our trip on sat. the 28th. went to animal kingdom on the 25th. and have been sick since. wednesday and thursday night were the worst stomach cramps I ever felt in my life, vomitted each night only once. couldn;t go to the bathroom. when I did felt a little better, no diarrea. stayed in bed and slept all day Friday ,couldn,t eat left on sat. very uneasy flight home here it is sunday still feel weak and have some minor cramping. This Sucks Thank Disenys Animal Kingdom for Ruing our Family Vacation. Now my Wife vis starting to feel sick to. Great.Bet they wouldn”t give you a refund or compansate me for our trouble and waste of another pass for a day that we didn”t use because I couldn”t get out of bed. i think they should have told people about this to take extra precautions in which I did. 3 days of nothing on a 7 day trip due to this virus .Thanks again see you reel soon. NOT!
This was our first trip to Diseny and to spend 5,ooo dollars plus to have my son remeber how Dad was sick in the bathroom and bed for three days out of a seven day trip. Thanks for the Memories.
My family and went to Disney and returned July 28. We went to Animal Kingdom on the 26th. We all were sick starting with my children for the entire 15 hours drive home and then my wife and I by the time we got home. It sure was a magical experience.
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