A visit to Böda Sand's water park on Öland turned into a nightmare for several families as a stomach illness outbreak left many, including an 8-year-old boy, hospitalized. Despite regular water testing showing no abnormalities, affected visitors are demanding compensation for their ruined vacations.
Outbreak of Stomach Illness at Böda Sand on Öland
Outbreak of Stomach Illness at Böda Sand on Öland
Leo, 8, was hospitalized after visiting the water park at Böda Sand this week. Several others fell ill after visiting the pool.
– It's terrible, it's awful to see him in such pain. I have barely slept, says Leo's mother, Ninni Carlsson.
Ninni, 38, and Jeff Carlsson, 45, had looked forward to a relaxing week at Böda Sand on Öland. Together with their son Leo, 8, and daughter Ava, 17, and her boyfriend, they traveled with their caravan from Linköping to Öland.
Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, they spent time at the water park every day. On Thursday, the water park closed the large pool due to low pH levels. That same afternoon, their son fell ill.
– We were supposed to stay until Saturday, but he was so sick that I went home on Friday. He had diarrhea, fever, headache, and severe abdominal pain, says Ninni Carlsson.
Leo's condition quickly worsened, and by Sunday, it was so bad that Ninni had to seek medical care. He was later admitted to the University Hospital in Linköping, where Ninni is now keeping vigil.
– It's terrible, and it's awful to see him in such pain. I have barely slept.
More Affected
On Monday, Jeff Carlsson wrote in Böda Sand's Facebook group to ask if others had been affected. Within a few hours, the post had over a hundred comments, and several people wrote that they had fallen ill after swimming in the water park that week.
One of them was Karin, 34. She and her husband went to Böda Sand on Monday to camp with their two children and family friends.
– We were in the water park on Wednesday, and during the night to Thursday, our family friend's youngest vomited first, and the next day their oldest vomited. On Thursday evening, our daughter also vomited. The children were so sick, they could barely walk and had a fever.
Seeking Compensation
Karin's son, who did not swim, did not get sick, and Karin suspected early on that it must have been something in the water.
– We wrote to Böda Sand and asked for compensation because we lost two whole days, plus all the costs related to the stomach illness. But it seems they don't want to compensate us at all, she says.
Both Karin and Ninni have received the same response from the water park when they contacted them. Ninni is very disappointed with how the situation has been handled.
– Böda Sand is very expensive, we spent 8,000 for a week there, and we couldn't enjoy it at all. And today we were supposed to go to Rhodes, so that vacation is also ruined. It's bad that they can't even engage without sending the same response to us.
Böda Sand: “No Abnormalities”
Böda Sand writes to Expressen that they are aware that several people have become ill, but they do not know what caused the illness or how it spread.
The water in the pools is tested regularly.
“Samples are taken routinely several times a day, and they show no abnormalities. Additional samples have been taken and sent for analysis, and they show no evidence of bacteria in the water,” writes Böda Sand's CEO Anna Barkevall in an email.
They have no decision yet on whether affected customers can receive compensation.
“We are consulting with infection control and the municipality to first find out the cause and possible source of infection. We follow their recommendations and advice.”
Böda Sand regrets that several have fallen ill and is in contact with infection control and Borgholm municipality to investigate the outbreak.
“We follow their recommendations and advice,” writes Anna Barkevall.