FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM AUGUST 8, 2019 • THE QUEENS COURIER 3
Flushing Meadows playground disinfected after 32 sickened
Photo via Wikimedia Commons/Tdorante10
QNS.com reached 1 million page views in July
BY THE QUEENS COURIER STAFF
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
QNS crossed that threshold on the
aft ernoon of July 31 and fi nished the
month with approximately 1,014,412
page views, which accounts for the number
of times readers clicked on QNS stories.
Th at shattered the all-time record of
886,931 page views set the month before,
in June. Overall page views on QNS —
the online home of Th e Queens Courier,
TimesLedger and Ridgewood Times —
are up about 39 percent so far this year.
It’s a tribute to the great stories written
by our team. July’s hit stories included
the Health Department shutting down
a popular Maspeth pizzeria, a Queens
pharmacist and staff busted for Medicaid
fraud, a rundown of the 10 Queens
neighborhoods with the priciest home
sales, a list of 11 great Queens diners and
the mysterious appearance of an In-NOut
burger on a Jamaica street.
Th e team includes editor-in-chief
Robert Pozarycki, social media manager
Emily Davenport, copy editor Katrina
Medoff and reporters Jenna Bagcal, Mark
Hallum, Carlotta Mohamed, Max Parrott
and Bill Parry.
We thank all of you for your support
and loyalty as we seek to continue to
break the biggest news stories in Queens
— and more records!
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
cmohamed@schnepsmedia.com
@QNS
A Flushing Meadows Corona Park
playground has been sanitized following
an investigation by the city Health
Department into a bacterial infection outbreak
that sickened 32 people.
Th e bacteria, identifi ed as shigella, was
investigated by the Health Department
aft er several individuals reported symptoms
aft er playing in the Playground for
All Children’s spray shower and other
water features to their specifi cations.
“We worked with the Parks Department
to sanitize the splash pad and fountain
areas, and these areas are now no longer
a risk for shigella transmission,” a Health
Department spokesman told the Queens
Courier in a statement. “Th e Unisphere,
the Playground For All Children, the
Lawrence Street Playground, and the
Jurassic Playground were all sanitized.”
A spokesman from the Parks
Department confi rmed to the Queens
Courier that the playground was cleaned
on July 20, working with the Health
Department.
“As an additional precaution, staff also
cleaned and disinfected all other spray
showers in Flushing Meadows Corona
Park,” a Parks Department spokesman
told the Queens Courier.
Shigellosis is an infection that aff ects
the intestines. It is caused by the bacteria
(germs), shigella, and is a fairly
common infection, especially among
young children, according to the Health
Department.
A mother told NY1 News that all four
of her children tested positive for the bacteria
aft er playing in the park earlier this
month and were admitted to the hospital.
However, another parent said their
child has never become sick playing at the
park at least four times a week.
Th ere have been 32 reported cases
of shigellosis associated with Flushing
Meadows Corona Park, the Health
Department told the Queens Courier.
Anyone can get shigellosis, but it is seen
most oft en in young children. Th e germ is
spread by eating or drinking contaminated
food or water, or by direct contact with
an infected person.
People exposed to the shigella germ
may experience mild or severe diarrhea,
oft en with fever, nausea and cramps.
Th ere may be traces of blood or mucous
in the stool. Some infected people may
not show any symptoms, according to the
Health Department.
To prevent the spread of shigellosis, the
Health Department recommends washing
hands oft en.
“Since germs are passed in stool (feces),
the single most important prevention
activity is frequent and careful hand
washing with soap and warm running
water aft er using the toilet or changing
diapers,” the Health Department said.
The spray area at the Playground for All Children in Flushing Meadows Corona Park.
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