EVERETT, Wash., Feb. 8 (UPI) -- A cheerleading competition in the Seattle area may have been Ground Zero for a gastrointestinal illness outbreak, state health officials say.
About 3,000 people attended the event Sunday and Monday at Comcast Arena in Everett, Wash., that featured more than 1,000 cheerleaders, SeattlePI.com reported. At least 19 of the 52 cheerleading squads that competed reported some members came down with gastrointestinal symptoms that included vomiting and diarrhea.
"It's a real squishy number," Department of Health spokeswoman Kate Lynch said Tuesday. "We're getting reports from a variety of places."
A woman who works at the arena has also reported getting sick, blaming it on cupcakes from the cafe in the arena, but health officials had yet to pinpoint the cause of the breakout.
Lynch said health officials were surveying schools that attended the competition for cheerleaders, drill teams and dance teams. They were also trying to get samples to be used to determine the infectious agent involved.
