A well-known Queensland camping spot could be shut down if a raging gastro outbreak cannot get controlled, a report said.
Over a dozen instances of gastro-intestinal disease at Inskip Point were reported to authorities this weekend.
Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service public health doctor Rob McClure said that tests have confirmed that the disease is norovirus, which can cause diarrhea and vomiting.
“One hundred percent of the samples taken have come back with norovirus,” Dr. McClure said.
The number of visitors to the park has been set at 1,100 to stop the spread. The MV Sarawak campground has also been shut to any new visitors.
“We’ve got a plan that we’re working through with Parks and Wildlife to manage this in four components,” Dr. McClure said.
“The first one is getting the evidence—who’s sick, how many people are sick, where are they sick, and what is the organism?
It’s a case of good quality health education and people being prepared so that they can come with clean water, they can come with good washing in their camp facilities, and they can look after their hand hygiene.
McClure states that a more critical question is the method of building campgrounds.
“I think we can think through in the future, how do we design campsites,” the man said.
More than 80 cases have been reported at the Inskip Point campgrounds since December 2020.
The Department of Environment and Science stated that additional rangers were assigned to provide other camping services as Christmas school holidays are nearing. They are also increasing their frequency for deep cleans.
McClure explained that if measures to stop the outbreak are inadequate, the entire site could be shut down.
“If we can’t keep control of the infection, then yes, ultimate closure is something which everyone will consider and is probably seen as the next step up,” he said.
