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Illness Linked to DAK's Wild Africa Trek
- Thread starter t3techcom18
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Millionaire2K
Active Member
I go to Disney every 6 months. However this past May was my first stay at AK lodge and it also was my first time getting sick. I was stuck in the hotel for 1 day tossing cookies 
!
I'm not saying its related... But it is odd that their is now an illness going around.
!I'm not saying its related... But it is odd that their is now an illness going around.
jlandis44
Member
We did the Trek on June 29th. Me and 3 family members...none of us got sick. And, we ate the orchids, and the chicken salad, and drank the jungle juice. And, we did the hike in 95+ degrees at 1:30PM, using AKs discounted pricing. I'm guessing you only got the virus if you paid full price!
Patricia Melton
Well-Known Member
My husband and I did the trek this year when we were at Disney in at the end of May/beginning of June. It was the two of us plus my son and daughter and my niece and nephew. None of us got sick. We ate everything put in front of us and had a wonderful time.
People get sick all over the place.
They could have all eaten at the same buffet after someone infected sneezed in the general vicinity -- something Disney cannot control.
They could have all rode the same shuttle and breathed the same air as an infected person -- something Disney cannot control.
My husband was in the restaurant business for many years and there were always people with dollar signs in their eyes who would try to blame an illness they had on something they ate in a restaurant -- and yet, the staff, my husband, and everyone else who ate in the restaurant that day were totally fine and healthy.
There are a lot of variables that go into a group of people mingling like they did on the Trek without it being a food-borne contagion. The most likely explanation to me is that everyone who got sick touched the same metal handrail somewhere that an infected person touched. Possibly it happened in a bathroom where someone did not wash his or her hands and then spread the contagion by touch to others.
This is not Disney's fault...it's just the hazard of being a living creature on a planet where germs and viruses exist.
People get sick all over the place.
They could have all eaten at the same buffet after someone infected sneezed in the general vicinity -- something Disney cannot control.
They could have all rode the same shuttle and breathed the same air as an infected person -- something Disney cannot control.
My husband was in the restaurant business for many years and there were always people with dollar signs in their eyes who would try to blame an illness they had on something they ate in a restaurant -- and yet, the staff, my husband, and everyone else who ate in the restaurant that day were totally fine and healthy.
There are a lot of variables that go into a group of people mingling like they did on the Trek without it being a food-borne contagion. The most likely explanation to me is that everyone who got sick touched the same metal handrail somewhere that an infected person touched. Possibly it happened in a bathroom where someone did not wash his or her hands and then spread the contagion by touch to others.
This is not Disney's fault...it's just the hazard of being a living creature on a planet where germs and viruses exist.
wdwfan22
Well-Known Member
The illness that affected guests took place over a 30 day period with dozens getting sick, so something isn't right. They all were not on the same tour so they couldn't have all rode the same shuttle or ate off the same buffet. Hopefully the cause of the illness will be found soon.
Patricia Melton
Well-Known Member
My husband I were there around 30 days or so ago. Why aren't we sick then?
Why didn't my son and daughter get sick?
Why didn't my niece and nephew get sick?
If you're looking at 30 or more days, these people could be sick from drinking the water at the Orlando airport before they even set foot on Disney property.
Not enough facts to blame the Mouse in my opinion.
Patricia Melton
Well-Known Member
Always remember this: if human beings were as fragile as Dateline or some of these other shows that hype the dangers of germs would have you believe, humanity would have gone extinct millennia ago.
You are alive today because you are the product of generations of successful humans who survived in a much more hostile and unsanitary environment than we have today...and in your genes is the beautiful and miraculous tools that keep you alive despite all the McNasties that are out there in the micro verse.
Do not be afraid of germs...you are to them what Superman or Supergirl is to comic book villains, only with very few shards of kryptonite in existence that can cripple you.
Only in rare instances does a germ get through your defense system. If you were an athlete, your body would be the best goalie in the history of soccer because of how few things get past its defensive skills.
Uncle Lupe
Well-Known Member
Some of the diarrhea and fatigue may be attributed to the jolt of a sedentary system this trek could have on the body.
Patricia Melton
Well-Known Member
Causes of the fatigue = heat, waking up early and not having enough sleep that day, not drinking enough water, being too excited and revved up because of being on the Trek
Diarrhea = how much coffee did they drink that morning waiting to go on the Trek?
You might laugh, but my husband ALWAYS has trouble when he's somewhere waiting for something and they have coffee available. He drinks much more than normal in those situations without realizing it. And then he pays for it later and wonders what happened. Caffeine causes diarrhea in some people. It's as reliable a cause as dairy in a lactose intolerant person. More coffee than normal in the morning before you go on a big adventure = recipe for disaster.
ChrisM
Well-Known Member
Hand sanitizer won't do a thing to protect you against norovirus.
Sans Souci
Well-Known Member
I agree. I read earlier about how you said norovirus was "the bane of your existence", I am right there with you. My son is 10. Ever since I had him, we get the stomach bug twice a year in our house. I seem to get it worse than my son and my husband.
I read that the norovirus is encased in a lipid envelope and that is why it is impervious to hand sanitizers. You need professional grade stuff for these buggers.
Clamman73
Well-Known Member
Try some Hibiclens.
wdwfan22
Well-Known Member
First of all I'm not blaming the mouse. I also never said that everyone that completed the trek got sick, but dozens of guests did. However there is a problem with that many guests getting sick from taking one behind the scenes tour.
Patricia Melton
Well-Known Member
I think there are very few facts being given and a lot of conjecture.
I can only report that I speak for 6 people who took the Trek recently and we were all fine afterwards. So whatever mystery contagion was administered to others was not given to us. Maybe it was because I was nice to our guide and kind to our bus driver that day.
backinaction
Well-Known Member
Yea I mean at times like this i'm glad i'm poor. Yet another reason to avoid this tour (besides the 250 price tag). I think they will close the tour down soon or change it drastically. Wasn't there a thread not to long ago about them closing it down anyway due to lack of attendance?
ChrisM
Well-Known Member
My sympathies. It's the absolute worst. The only saving grace is that it's short lived.
You are absolutely correct about the lipid envelope rendering them extremely hard to kill. The good news is that human trials on a norovirus vaccine are now underway. Yes!
ChrisM
Well-Known Member
Actually Patricia, the most common method of norovirus transmission is it actually being on food items that are subsequently consumed and not through casual contact with surfaces it may reside on.
Couple that with the fact that infection can occur via exposure/ingestion of a mere 10-100 actual virus particles and it wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility of certain individuals being exposed and not everyone.
Patricia Melton
Well-Known Member
I'm sure the U of Chicago is just dying to publicize that you are a graduate.
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