|
Posted: May 28th, 2012 - 1:02am by Doug Powell In March 2012, dozens of people were apparently sickened withnorovirus after visiting an eastern Iowa swim facility. The Quad-City Times has been trying to name the facility, but an Iowa law that allowspublic health officials to keep secret the name of a businessinvolved in a disease investigation; this, say some of thosesickened, puts business interests before public safety. Johnson County and state health officials won"t release thename of the facility despite dozens being sickened, citing statelaw that shields businesses that have cleaned up their act after anoutbreak. They also believe there is no ongoing public health risk. "I just wish the name would be out there, so others couldknow about this happening at a family attraction," saidCourtney Evans of Blue Grass, Iowa. Evans" two young boys andher husband fell ill from norovirus after a visit to the swimfacility. The Quad-City Times and The Gazette of Cedar Rapids jointly filed acomplaint with the Iowa Office of Citizens" Aide about thehealth department"s refusal to release the name of the swimfacility or provide key details about the investigation, such asdates of when people got sick. The Citizens" Aide ruledpublic health officials followed the law. "The problem is that I have to obey the law," saidState Epidemiologist Patricia Quinlisk. "If people feel thatis incorrect, they have to talk with their legislators (aboutchanging the law)." Some Iowa legislators say the current law might go too far. "We have a duty to inform the public that this has occurredand that it"s been remedied," said Rep. Rick Olson,D-Des Moines. "I want to keep my kids healthy." Rep. Vicki Lensing, D-Iowa City, said the public needs accurateinformation from the health department, not speculation. "Itwould seem like after an investigation is concluded thatinformation could be released," she said. Records obtained by the Quad-City Times and the Gazette through anOpen Records request with the Johnson County Public HealthDepartment indicate more than 30 people contracted norovirus aftervisiting the swim facility in March. Johnson County, which handledthe facility investigation, inspects pools in Johnson, Iowa, Louisaand Muscatine counties. "Early this morning, all family members began vomiting andhave experienced diarrhea," states a Johnson Countyrecord-of-contact form. The complainant "contacted the familymembers they traveled with, and all are experiencing the samesymptoms." "…the complainant believes that illnesses derived fromexposure to pool water. The two individuals that did not enter thepool water have not become sick," the report shows. According to the records, which include handwritten notes, reportsand emails, chemical tests leading up to the outbreak showed thepools had little or no chlorine, which kills pathogens that cancause disease. Pool management told officials a chlorine feeder was plugged. Iowa Code Section 139A.3 states "information contained in thereport may be reported in public health records in a manner whichprevents the identification of any person or business named in thereport." This means public health officials can tell thepublic about the outbreak only in a generic way that doesn"tidentify the business. Before Quinlisk decides to keep investigation details secret sheasks herself one question: Would she take her own child to thefacility? In this case, the answer was yes, she said. Not every state gives businesses the same protection as individualswhen it comes to disease reports. Minnesota, for example, onlykeeps the health records of individuals private, not businesses. "If we have an outbreak at Joe"s Diner, that"spublic," said Richard Danila, deputy Minnesotaepidemiologist. The Illinois Department of Public Health has a policy to keepconfidential the name of a business involved in a diseaseinvestigation, but the information can be obtained through openrecords requests after the investigation is concluded, saidDepartment spokeswoman Melaney Arnold. An accompanying editorial says several Quad-City area families sickened by the virus contacted usand were referred by Scott County health officials to the JohnsonCounty Health Department in late March. We followed up, pursuingpublic records to confirm the account. We were not seeking the names of the victims. The victims came tous. They spoke on the record. So, yes, we know what business was investigated. But we need public officials verifying the investigation to be ableto report this responsibly and without fear of liability from apossible lawsuit since the origin of the norovirus has not beenproven, the business complied with orders to take correctiveaction, and there was no perceived ongoing public health risk. If I wanted to take my child to the facility, I would want to knowtheir track-record and whether they could adequately manage thingslike chlorine levels, or whether I should bring my own pH strips. Just like I want to know the track record of a restaurant before Ispend my money there. The e-commerce company in China offers quality products such as LED Halogen Lights , LED Recessed Downlights, and more. For more , please visit LED Ceiling Lights Fixtures today!
Related Articles -
LED Halogen Lights, LED Recessed Downlights,
|
