A bucket list hiking trail had to be closed after dozens of hikers mysteriously fell ill, including one who had to be flown back after throwing up “50 to 60 times.”
The Kalalau Trail in Hawaii has been closed after at least 37 hikers were infected with norovirus, causing severe gastrointestinal symptoms for visitors.
Danielle Ann had to be airlifted off the trail and taken to the hospital after she “vomited about 50-60 times and had 15-20 episodes of what my friend Jeff called ‘epic diarrhea,’” she revealed on Facebook.
“I am the lucky one who was evacuated and taken to hospital on the morning of September 1,” she said.
She began hiking on August 29 and began experiencing vomiting and diarrhea around 1 a.m. on September 1. She was evacuated later that morning after her group was able to call a helicopter around 9 a.m.
“My symptoms had gotten worse quickly and severely enough that I actually told my partner at 4 a.m. that I was worried I wasn’t going to make it,” she said. “I don’t know why I got it more severe than most cases that I know of.
Hawaii’s Kalalau Trail is closed after at least 37 hikers contracted norovirus, causing severe gastrointestinal symptoms for visitors
Danielle Ann had to be airlifted off the trail (pictured) and taken to the hospital after she “vomited approximately 50-60 times and had 15-20 bouts of what my friend Jeff called ‘epic diarrhea,’” she revealed on Facebook.
“My symptoms had worsened so quickly and severely that I actually told my partner at 4am that I was scared I wasn’t going to make it,” said Danielle (pictured).
“I am an otherwise healthy young adult who happens to have a background in healthcare. After several years of acute illness, I was literally terrified – shitless.”
She also said that eight of the thirteen people in her group became ill.
According to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR), the entire 22-mile trail will be closed until September 19 for water, soil and environmental testing.
“This is a very concerning and rare event, made all the more so by the extremely remote nature of the Kalalau Valley,” said Curt Cottrell, administrator of the State Parks Department, in a statement. proposition“We appreciate the guidance from the DOH in managing and containing this isolated outbreak. We hope no one else is exposed or becomes ill.”
The DLNR reported: ‘All comfort stations along the route are being cleaned and disinfected.’
According to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources, the entire 22-mile trail will be closed until Sept. 19 for water, soil and environmental testing.
Forrest Liss of Kauai was backpacking Tuesday when some of his group got sick and went off trail. He suspected, however, that people were getting sick from camping.
‘People are getting sick, but if they follow the park closure protocols, [you think] “Actually this is something more serious,” he said, according to a statement from the DLNR.
Rangers cleaned the comfort station several times with bleach on Thursday.
“We swept the floor and bleached the entire bathroom, floors, railings, toilets, everything. We waited at least 7 to 10 minutes, cleaned everything and did it again and then we wiped everything down with disinfectant,” DSP Derrick Louis said in a statement.
Rangers cleaned the comfort station several times with bleach on Thursday
According to the DLNR, norovirus cases have also been reported on other hiking trails, such as the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina, due to “challenges in hand hygiene and sanitation along the trail.”
The Kalalau Trail covers 11 miles of the Napali Coast and is a “bucket list hike” for many people, said Patti Jette, a spokesperson for the DLNR SF port.
“For many people it is not an easy walk; it is actually a very challenging hike, both in terms of the length and the difficulty of the route,” she said.
“We had officers on the ground yesterday monitoring the trail and asking people to leave,” she continued. “We had officers on the ground yesterday monitoring the trail and asking people to leave.”
