GALVESTON, Texas – Schlitterbahn Galveston is responding to a viral Facebook post by a parent who claimed her children contracted an infection at the water park.
Asheley Drake Salas posted photos on Facebook of what appears to be a skin infection or rash. In her post, Salas claims that the water at Schlitterbahn caused it, and she warned others not to go to the park.
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"They have a very serious strep/staph infection in their water, and two of my kids have it. I was told by doctors at UTMB that they have had case after case coming in from Schlitterbahn, some whole families and a lot of tourists," Salas wrote.
Salas also claims that University of Texas Medical Branch called Schlitterbahn, and officials there have not done anything about it.
Schlitterbahn posted a statement on Facebook in response to Salas' claims:
"Recently there have been some concerns raised, and we want to address them directly. First, here is information we received from the Galveston Health District this evening:
"As of this email, Galveston County Health District Consumer Health Services, which inspects facilities like water parks, does not have a recent complaint related to Schlitterbahn Galveston. Such public swimming facilities are inspected once annually and whenever a complaint is made. As of this post, Galveston County Health District Epidemiology Services does not have reports from medical providers of staph infection related to Schlitterbahn Galveston. Additionally, our epidemiologists were able to talk on the phone with the concerned mother in order to get the name of the doctor who treated her child. We followed up with UTMB and there remain no reports from doctors at UTMB of an increase in staph infection affiliated with Schlitterbahn."
Schlitterbahn officials said they take water safety very seriously and are continuing to investigate the issue.
"We treat our water with chlorine and run tests on it throughout the day. Thousands of guests have visited us this summer, and our employees are in the water every day. According to the health district, there are no reports from UTMB or other medical professionals of any staph infection affiliated with Schlitterbahn. Our park is open; it is not closed as has been reported by some individuals on social media. In any case, we are continuing to investigate the issue and have been in touch with the family."
KPRC 2 contacted UTMB and the Galveston Health Department. Both said they are unaware of any cases.