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Water-borne illness cases climb to 3,000Gastrointestinal ailment traced to New York water attractionFrom Debra Goldschmidt NEW YORK (CNN) -- The number of reported cases of gastrointestinal illness linked to a water park in upstate New York grew to nearly 3,000 on Tuesday, state health officials said. Of those, state and private laboratories have confirmed 197 cases as cryptosporidiosis, a diarrheal disease caused by the parasite Cryptosporidium. Last week the state Parks Department closed the Sprayground at Seneca Lake State Park after Health Department tests linked the cases to the attraction, an 11,000 square-foot area of water jets that that visitors can walk or run through to get relief from the summer heat. The state health department found the organism in two storage tanks that supply water to the attraction. Tests of the park's lake area determined that water there was not contaminated. The reported cases are spread throughout 28 New York counties. No cases have been reported outside the state. Jeffrey Hammond, spokesman for the New York State Department of Health, would not comment on whether the outbreak was contained, saying the investigation is ongoing. However, health officials stressed that they are taking "precautionary measures." "We don't want it to spread and don't want folks to pass it on," Hammond said. Authorities urged anyone who has visited the park since late July and is having symptoms to contact their local health department or their physician. Family members and close contacts of people who have been ill and are experiencing symptoms should do the same. Although the most common symptom is diarrhea, other symptoms include dehydration, stomach cramps, weight loss, fever, nausea and vomiting. In an effort to prevent the illness from spreading, people who have had symptoms are advised not to swim in recreational water -- including swimming pools, hot tubs and lakes -- while ill and for two weeks after their symptoms have ended. Health care workers, day care staff and food workers with symptoms are urged to stay home from work until they feel better. The health department is also reminding people to wash their hands with soap and water after using the bathroom, changing diapers and before handling food. People can get sick from the parasite by swallowing contaminated water, uncooked contaminated food and by coming into contact with contaminated surfaces such as toys and changing tables, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Cryptosporidiosis symptoms typically begin two to 10 days after exposure and usually last for two weeks, the CDC said. Some of the people reporting symptoms to the health department said their symptoms date as far back as June. Many of those sickened have recovered, according to the health department. Cryptosporidium is one of the most common causes of waterborne disease in the United States, according to the CDC. 
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