Hundreds at Tough Mudder race reportedly infected in Bay Area

Sonoma County officials Wednesday reported that hundreds of people who participated in the Tough Mudder Obstacle Course at Sonoma Raceway last weekend had health problems such as boils, fevers, rashes with muscle pain, and even nausea and vomiting. was reported to have developed a problem and issued a health advisory on Wednesday. hours after the event.

This popular event requires participants to wriggle through mud and waist-deep muddy water. Health officials suspect that the exposure may have made people sick.

The Sonoma County Health Advisory states, “Most affected individuals present with a pustular rash, fever, muscle aches, and headaches.” “These symptoms may indicate a mild illness called swimmer’s itch, but they can also indicate other, more serious bacterial infections such as staphylococcal infection or Aeromonas.”

Aeronorma can spread through contaminated waterways and soil, he said. study From the Infectious Diseases Society of America. Sonoma County officials urged participants with symptoms to seek immediate medical attention from a doctor or emergency medical facility.

The news comes after a ton of reports were shared above. tough madder subredditSome participants claimed they found their skin covered in pus-filled blisters and had to spend the night in the ER. Participant Nicole Villagran experienced flu-like symptoms with red welts all over his arms and legs. told ABC7 During the race, she “smells like cow dung” and there were several moments when she failed to complete some obstacles.

“Six out of six people in my group have bumps and acne,” Reddit user GenxDHMTB wrote in one post. thread. “Three of them have fevers. Three went to the ER. [I’m a] “What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger, but I think it’s negligent in my book to deliberately send people into cow dung.”

A Tough Mudder spokesperson did not immediately respond to SFGATE’s request for comment, but the Rediter said Tuff Madder Sonoma conducted outreach to participants and encouraged them to seek medical care. “The health and safety of our Tough Mudder community has always been our top priority and we would therefore like to inform you that we are actively taking all necessary steps to thoroughly investigate this matter. ‘,” the statement said.

A Sonoma County spokesman was also not available for comment. County spokesman Matt Brown said: Said The NBC Bay Area had seven confirmed cases of Aeromonas as of Thursday afternoon. The county said at least 22 people reported symptoms overall. According to KTVUBut participant Chris Paracos told the news station he believes more people have been infected and have yet to be documented.

“I’ve heard of at least 350.” [people] In an email thread that I participated in,” Parakos said, adding, “There were red spots on the parts of my body that touched the ground.”

Officials say the incubation period for infection is 24 to 48 hours. We recommend calling the Sonoma County Public Health Department at 707-565-4567 for more information.