Illness linked to Disney World tour

ORLANDO, Fla., July 26 (UPI) -- Health officials in Florida say they have linked a number of illnesses to an exclusive tour at Walt Disney World.

Although the Orange County Health Department linked the illness to the "Wild Africa Trek" tour in Disney's Animal Kingdom, the source has yet to be discovered, the Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel reported Wednesday.

Dain Weister, a spokesman for the Orange County Health Department, said investigators documented "several dozens of cases" of illnesses among guests who took the tour in June and July.

Reported symptoms include diarrhea, abdominal pain, fatigue and nausea, Weister said.

"It appears to be some kind of stomach bug," Weister said. "It could be food-borne, it could be water-borne, it could be something that's passed on person-to-person, it could be something that's picked up by surface."

Weister said his agency inspected the kitchen at Disney World where employees prepare food served on the trek, but found no problems.

Meanwhile, Disney has taken some precautions to curb further potential outbreaks, including "deep cleaning" surfaces that guests touch, distributing more hand sanitizers, and emphasizing hand-washing.

"Many times we're not able to find a source," Weister said. "What we see in a lot of these cases is it boils down to hygiene. Simple hand washing -- proper hand washing and hand sanitizer -- because all it takes is one person that doesn't do it that has a germ on their hands and they touch a surface. And it can just take off."