A bucket list hiking trail has been forced to close after dozens of hikers fell mysteriously ill, including one who had to be airlifted after suffering “50 to 60 bouts of vomiting.”
The Kalalau Trail in Hawaii has been closed after at least 37 hikers contracted norovirus, leaving visitors with severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
Danielle Ann had to be airlifted off the trail and taken to the hospital after she was left with “about 50 to 60 episodes of vomiting and 15 to 20 episodes of what my friend Jeff called ‘epic diarrhea,'” she revealed in Facebook.
“I’m the lucky girl who was evacuated on the morning of September 1 and taken to the hospital,” she said.
She began hiking on August 29 and started 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 progressed so quickly and so severely that at 4am I told my partner I was afraid I wouldn’t survive,” she said. “I don’t know why my condition was more severe than in most cases I know.”
The Kalalau Trail in Hawaii has been closed after at least 37 hikers contracted norovirus, leaving visitors with severe gastrointestinal symptoms.
Danielle Ann had to be airlifted off the trail by helicopter (pictured) and taken to hospital after being left with “about 50 to 60 episodes of vomiting and 15 to 20 episodes of what my friend Jeff called ‘epic diarrhea,'” she revealed on Facebook.
“My symptoms had progressed so quickly and so severely that at 4am I told my partner I was afraid I wouldn’t survive,” Danielle (pictured) said.
“I am an otherwise healthy young adult with experience in the healthcare field. Having witnessed acute illnesses for several years, I was literally scared to death.”
He also revealed that eight of the 13 people in his group became ill.
The entire 22-mile round-trip trail will be closed until Sept. 19 while water, soil and environmental testing is conducted, according to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources (DLNR).
“This is a very concerning and rare occurrence, magnified by the extremely remote nature of the Kalalau Valley,” State Parks Division Administrator Curt Cottrell said in a statement. statement‘We appreciate the guidance from DOH to help manage and mitigate this isolated outbreak in the hopes that no one else will be exposed or become ill.’
The DLNR said, “All comfort stations along the trail are being cleaned and disinfected.”
The entire 22-mile round-trip trail will be closed until Sept. 19 while water, soil and environmental testing is conducted, according to the Hawaii Department of Land and Natural Resources.
Forrest Liss of Kauai was backpacking Tuesday when some of his group got sick and left the trail, but he thought people were getting sick from camping.
“People get sick, but when they start going through the park closure protocols, you think this is actually something a little more serious,” he said, according to a DLNR statement.
Rangers cleaned the gas station with bleach several times on Thursday.
“We swept the floor and bleached the entire bathroom, floors, handrails, toilets, everything. We waited at least 7 to 10 minutes, wiped everything down and did it again and then wiped everything down with a disinfectant,” DSP Derrick Louis said in a statement.
Rangers cleaned the gas station with bleach several times on Thursday
Workers have begun cleaning up the area following the norovirus outbreak.
“Yesterday we had officers on the ground monitoring the trail and asking people to leave,” he continued. “Yesterday (Wednesday) we had officers on the ground monitoring the trail and asking people to leave.”
Other trails, such as the Appalachian Trail in Georgia, Tennessee and North Carolina, have also reported norovirus due to “issues with hand hygiene and sanitation along the trail,” according to the DLNR.
The Kalalau Trail covers 11 miles of the Napali Coast and is a “bucket list hike” for many people, said Patti Jette, a DLNR spokeswoman. Gate of Saint Francis.
“For many people, it’s not considered an easy hike; it’s a very challenging hike, both in length and difficulty of the trail,” he said.
“Yesterday (Wednesday) we had officers on the ground monitoring the trail and asking people to leave,” he continued.
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