This article was updated on July 8 at 8:48 PM EST with a statement from the NPS.
Some visitors who recently rafted in Grand Canyon National Park have reported contracting a mystery illness. In a Grand Canyon rafters’ Facebook group, people have shared symptoms ranging from pneumonia to flu-like symptoms to muscle soreness. TheTravel spoke with one of the affected visitors, who said he has been in contact with one of the National Park Service’s (NPS) epidemiologists.
The NPS has confirmed to TheTravel that an investigation is underway. This comes amid the park issuing a warning after a tourist climbed a historic artifact and left it damaged. Grand Canyon National Park has not made a formal announcement regarding the mystery illness, however.
Mystery Illness Reported Among Grand Canyon National Park Visitors
Matthew Wappett, whose trip was between May 18 and June 2, said in a Facebook post that he went to the emergency room three days after his trip due to “a swollen knee, fever, and bone-crushing aches” in his joints.
Wappett, who resides in Utah, told the outlet that he skinned his knee during the trip, but didn’t think it was serious. He said the doctor ruled out a staph infection, and several antibiotics resolved the swelling in his knee. He continued to experience symptoms, however.
“I have continued to have fevers, severe bone and joint aches, and I was just diagnosed with pneumonia this week,” Wappett said in his July 2 post.
He confirmed to TheTravel that he was still experiencing pneumonia-like symptoms as of July 7. Wappett said two of his family members also fell ill, but appear to have recovered. “My wife and daughter also got sick, but they seem to have gotten over it,” he told TheTravel.
Wappett shared in the Facebook group that he had been contacted by NPS epidemiologists. He said that they are speaking to several affected visitors.
“They are just gathering information from the various groups that have gotten ill over the past month,” Wappett told TheTravel.
He added that he and other affected visitors are waiting on “definitive test results.” He also explained that “A lot of the conditions we’re looking at are hard to test for and take a long time to get results on.”
Wappett told TheTravel that the NPS is running a variety of tests for uncommon pathogens, including hantavirus, Valley Fever, Dengue fever, and leptospirosis. He added that it’s “trickier” to find labs outside of Arizona that test for these diseases.
NPS explained the reported symptoms in a statement to TheTravel.
“The National Park Service has received reports of individuals experiencing symptoms including fever, chills, fatigue, headache, difficulty breathing, muscle or body aches or soreness, joint or bone pain, or localized swelling following river trips on the Colorado River through Grand Canyon National Park. The National Park Service Office of Health and Safety is coordinating with public health partners to review these reports,” the agency stated.
Before Wappett’s post, another visitor, Steven King, shared a Facebook post on July 1 about members of his boating group who had come down with the illness. Both King and Wappett said they rafted from Lees Ferry to Diamond Creek, a 225-mile stretch.
More Information On Mystery Illness Affecting Grand Canyon Visitors
King, whose trip was between June 7 and June 22, listed the symptoms several of them have experienced, adding that they experienced no issues during the trip.
“Had an awesome time down there, no issues at all in the canyon. Not even a boat flip,” King wrote. “However, since returning home several of us have been experiencing similar health symptoms: fever, chills, fatigue, weakness, local muscle soreness progressing to severe pain similar to a pulled muscle in the legs, fluid in the lungs.”
He said that one of the group members “briefly lost consciousness in their doctor’s office,” which led to them being hospitalized with suspected pneumonia. He added that nobody has reported gastrointestinal symptoms.
King said some doctors believe the illness was caused by a bacterial infection. While it remains unclear what has caused the mystery illness, Wappett said several camps were “swarming with bats,” which he said an NPS epidemiologist noticed too and was “really surprised” about.
“So, bat exposure is totally a possibility,” Wappett wrote. The NPS has yet to issue an official public notification about the illness; however, one online platform has been tracking the outbreak.
Experts Are Working To Identify The Disease
BEACON, a crowdsourcing platform at Boston University that monitors infectious diseases, has been tracking the mystery Grand Canyon illness. Dr. Britta Lassmann, co-founder of the platform and an infectious diseases physician, said researchers believe there “might be more” to the outbreak.
“It looks like there are several cases in different groups,” Dr. Lassmann told 12News KPNX. “So definitely it is something where we feel there might be more behind it.”
She added that most disease reports are eventually identifiable. The NPS told TheTravel that it is unable to comment on the extent of the illness, a possible diagnosis, or any other details, as it is investigating. TheNPS, in a statement to 12News KPNX, confirmed that it is aware of the reported illnesses shared in the Facebook group.
“The National Park Service is aware of the specific river trip and the reported illnesses described in numerous Facebook posts on the Grand Canyon Rafting community site. The National Park Service Office of Public Health is leading the investigation in coordination with the appropriate public health partners,” NPS said.
Rafters preparing to visit the Grand Canyon should check for advisories, and those who have already completed a river trip and are experiencing symptoms should report them to the NPS.
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