A day later and the mystery surrounding Cowans Gap State Park isn’t much clearer.

Unverified rumors have circulated for weeks following a test last month that showed unusually high levels of bacteria in the Fulton County lake.

On Saturday, Jessica Walter, spokesperson for Summit Health, said there had been two confirmed cases of E. coli 0157H7 in the past five days at Chambersburg Hospital. She did not link the patients — both younger than 5, one a boy, the other a girl — with any activity at Cowans Gap.

She did not indicate the children’s conditions.

Walter said it usually takes three to seven days from contact until symptoms show up.

Summit Health is the operator of Chambersburg and Waynesboro hospitals.

Walter said the hospital has been in contact with the state Department of Health and other urgent care centers, trying to keep others informed.

Phone calls to Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, Hershey, regarding patients suffering from E. coli symptoms or symptoms similar to E. coli were not immediately returned Saturday.

Attempts to reach families who were affected by trips to the lake were unsuccessful.

On Friday, state officials said bacteria levels in the lake were within acceptable limits.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health also reported it was investigating three cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication caused by E. coli-0157 in the region.

HUS destroys red blood cells and can cause kidney failure. Blood transfusions and kidney dialysis often are required. The death rate for HUS is fewer than 5 percent.

E. coli is a bacteria that lives in the intestines of humans and animals. It comes in several strains, according to the Centers for Disease Control. according to kidshealth.org, most strains are harmless, but others can make people sick, especially when E. coli is passed from the intestines into the blood.

The water at state lakes and pools is tested twice weekly during the season, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Once concerns were raised at Cowans Gap, testing was increased to three times per week.

Acceptable levels for bacteria is a reading of 235 parts per milliliter. a sample taken at Cowans Gap’s south beach on July 17 showed a reading of 600 ppml.

Test results take about two days to become available.

Officials closed the lake for in the afternoon and evening of July 20. Based on results taken a day later, the beach reopened a day later.

The level dropped to 12 ppml on July 18. Measurements from the north beach were 150 ppml on July 17 and 25 ppml on July 18.

For Pennsylvania, 2010 is on track to be a record year for whooping cough.

More cases of the highly contagious illness, also known as pertussis, have been reported so far this year than in any year since 2005, according to statistics from the state Department of Health. many of those cases have been among 8-year-olds to 12-year-olds, spokeswoman Holli Senior said.

So far this year, 754 cases of whooping cough have been reported to the Department of Health. About 300 of those occurred in the past two months.

In 2009, there were 615 reported cases, the most since at least 2005.

"it is a busy year for pertussis," Senior said.

Whooping cough is a highly contagious bacterial illness spread by coughing or sneezing. The first symptoms of the disease are similar to those of the common cold. after about 10 or 12 days, those afflicted develop a severe cough that sometimes ends with a "whoop" as they try to catch their breath.

The disease is most dangerous in infants, who usually do not make the whooping sound and sometimes stop breathing during coughing fits. in otherwise healthy people, it is not usually life-threatening.

The disease is treated with antibiotics, which are more effective if whooping cough is diagnosed early.

A whooping-cough vaccine is required or recommended to enroll in elementary school in many Pennsylvania districts. But immunity can wear off over time, and a booster shot is now recommended for adolescents.

In November, the health department recommended that all Pennsylvanians ensure they are vaccinated against pertussis, saying "most adolescents and adults are susceptible to the disease."

The department recommended a booster shot for people aged 10 to 64 who are not fully immunized, women of childbearing age before or immediately after pregnancy, anyone who has contact with pregnant women or infants too young to be vaccinated, and all family members or caregivers of infants.

Cases have been on the rise in York, Delaware, Clarion and Venango counties, and the health department offered free vaccines in those areas.

In other areas, the department recommended talking to a doctor or other health-care professional. Vaccinations are also available at some Rite Aid locations.