After fourteen Boy Scouts and one adult contracted E. coli infection while attending a popular camp in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains, Boy Scout officials have decided to close the camp for an indefinite amount of time.

The Virginia Department of health began receiving reports about a week ago when the boys from about 70 troops returned home after a week spent at the Goshen Scout Reservation in Rockbridge County between July 20 and 26.

Goshen is the National Capital Area Council’s resident summer camp situated on more than 4,000 acres in the mountains of western Virginia. Six separate camps are located on the shores of 450-acre Lake Merriweather.

There were about 1,350 scouts, adult learners, and staff members attending the camp that week. That’s why health officials fear that the number of illnesses could grow. Nine of 50 to 60 scouts who reported being ill have been hospitalized.

The source of contamination is still under investigation, but health officials are ruling out the lake because tests came back negative.

“As of today, the source of the bacteria remains unconfirmed,” the Scouting organization said in a news release on Sunday.

Some 30 employees at the Virginia Department of Health were investigating the outbreak, interviewing Scout troops and taking stool samples from those showing symptoms.

“Public health officials are working closely with reservation staff to explore possible sources of the infection through interviews with staff, troop leaders, parents of ill children and health-care providers,” Department epidemiologist Seth Levine said. However, he said it was too early to link the outbreak to ground beef or any other sources.

According to Goshen Scout Reservation leaders, this is the first major health problem the camp has had since the site opened in the late 1960s. And the problems seem to get worse as three more Scouts had apparently become ill, according to the latest reports.

Consequently, officials of the National Capital Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America announced that they had closed the camp during the investigation.

E. coli is a potentially deadly bacterium that can cause diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting and in most severe cases kidney failure. Most of the infected persons get well in 15 days. People predisposed to the infection include children, seniors, and persons whose immune system is weakened. Antibiotics typically are not helpful, and infections are often treated by drinking fluids and taking pain relievers.

The CDC estimates that there may be about 70,000 infections with E. coli annually in the United States, with many of these cases not seeking medical care. About 60 people die after being infected with E. coli the same statistics show. Most of them do not seek treatment or have weak immune systems, such as the elderly.