Word on Corpus Christi illnesses expected in mid July

State health officials
continue interviewing
people, checking data
Southwest Texas United Methodists probably won’t know until mid July what caused more than 300 people to get sick last month in Corpus Christi.
State public health officials were still interviewing people at the end of June who had been stricken by the gastrointestinal bug during church meetings June 1-4.
A complex epidemiological investigation takes lots of time, said Emily Palmer, deputy press officer for the Texas Department of State Health Services. Investigators are contacting more than 200 people, cross-referencing data and trying to trace how the infection spread.
“That’s a large task,” she said. “We want the data to be accurate. We can’t make assumptions in a scientific investigation.”
The state health department was continuing to ask all people who attended the June 1-4 Southwest Texas Annual Conference session—whether they got sick or not—to complete an online questionnaire.
The survey is available at https://txhan.tdh.state.tx.us/eis/survey/take.cfm?surveyId=3 or through the health department’s main Web site: http://www.dshs.state.tx.us. Click “Conference Illnesses” in the “DSHS Today” box in the upper right corner of the page.
As of July 1, 313 meeting participants had reported to the United Methodist Center in San Antonio that they had been sick.
The total included 299 who attended the June 1-4 Southwest Texas Annual Conference session and 14 who attended the June 3-5 Rio Grande Annual Conference session. Both groups met at Corpus Christi’s American Bank Center.
The Rev. Austin Frederick Jr., assistant to the Episcopal office, sent get-well messages to people who reported getting sick.
“You’re in my thoughts and prayers during this time of recovery,” the personally signed messages said.
Meeting participants began reporting getting sick June 2. Common symptoms were vomiting and diarrhea.
Some people reported fever, chills, abdominal cramping and headache, state health officials said. Some illnesses lasted 24 hours. Others lasted longer. At least one person was hospitalized.