KPTV - FOX 12Cheerleaders out sick from possible intestinal illness outbreak

Cheerleaders out sick from possible intestinal illness outbreak

State officials are investigating a possible intestinal illness outbreak among thousands who attended an Everett, WA, cheerleading competition over the weekend.

The Washington State Department of Health says at least 19 out of the 52 cheer squads who performed at the Comcast Arena Feb. 4 have reported the illness in at least one or more team members.

The DOH says their top priority now is figuring out what the source of this illness is so they know exactly what they are dealing with.

"I woke up Monday morning at 2 a.m. and just started vomiting and stuff, it was like every 20 minutes," said Kelso High School Cheerleader Kimberly Otton.

Otton is just one of a handful of girls at her school to come down with a mysterious intestinal illness almost immediately after the competition.

"I thought it was food poisoning, I've never experienced that feeling," said Otton.

"My cheer team had one water bottle that we filled up at the arena, we shared it and that's it. But the people I drank it from aren't even sick," said Otton.

FOX 12 has confirmed Mark Morris High school also has students out sick from the illness.

Symptoms of the illness include intense headaches, vomiting and diarrhea. The DOH says this type of sickness could be caused by a number of factors like bacteria or possibly even a virus.

Officials are working to check for common exposures between people affected so they can narrow down a cause.

The DOH sent out questionnaires to all 3,000 people who were in attendance at the competition to figure out what they did and ate.

In the meantime, they encourage all who went to the event and have severe symptoms to go to the doctor immediately.

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