The Hidden Danger at the 1999 County Fair That Sickened More Than 1,000 People

Attendees at a New York county fair were sickened after consuming water from a well that was contaminated with cow manure

NEED TO KNOW

• Over 1,000 people fell ill and two died after an E. coli outbreak at a New York county fair in 1999
• Contaminated well water used by food vendors was linked to the outbreak, which caused severe illnesses and hospitalizations
• The incident remains the largest waterborne E. coli outbreak in U.S. history, with lasting health impacts for some victims

More than 1,000 were sickened, and two people — including a 3-year-old — died after an E. coli outbreak stunned attendees at a New York county fair in 1999. Researchers discovered the virulent pathogen lurking in the water on Sept. 9.

An estimated 108,000 people attended the Washington County Fair in the northeastern part of New York State. While the bulk of the water used at the fair was chlorinated, one section of the fair tapped into a nearby well, according to a retrospective by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

That well contained untreated water — and “high levels” of pathogens, the CDC said.

Food vendors used that water to make ice and beverages. Shortly after the fair, attendees were sickened with bloody diarrhea and other illnesses. Sixty-five people were hospitalized, including 11 children who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).  It’s a serious medical condition that can cause kidney failure, per Mayo Clinic.

A three-year-old girl died from HUS, and a 79-year-old man died from HUS, alongside thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura, which causes blood clots to develop in small blood vessels.

More than 1,000 people were sickened by the outbreak, The New York Times reported at the time. But a report by Washington County put the actual number of sickened people at 2,800.

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Officials said that the water may have become contaminated after an August 26 rainstorm washed cow manure into the well, according to Food Safety Law Firm Marler Clark, which notes that the children who were hospitalized sustained permanent kidney damage. The 1999 Washington County Fair set a grim milestone as the largest waterborne E. coli outbreak in U.S. history.