3 unexpected health risks at Disney—from fecal matter exposure to vaginal lacerations

A 17-year-old girl from Pennsylvania experienced sudden cardiac arrest on June 23, 2025, while on a high school band trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as reported by Fox 35 Orlando.^[]

Jeffrey Schiappa, DO, a family medicine physician from Illinois, was vacationing at the park and responded promptly. After confirming the teen was unresponsive and had an irregular pulse, Dr. Schiappa located an AED and administered two shocks; CPR was performed until paramedics arrived.

The girl regained consciousness and was later diagnosed with Long QT syndrome, a condition that can lead to life-threatening arrhythmias. She has since received a pacemaker and is recovering well.

Long QT syndrome is a genetic disorder affecting the heart's electrical system, leading to prolonged repolarization and an increased risk of arrhythmias such as Torsades de Pointes. Triggers for these arrhythmias can include exercise, emotional stress, and sudden loud noises.^[]

Other health risks to be aware of at Disney

Disney World may be known as “the happiest place on earth,” but reports like these show visitors have experienced less-than-happy moments and various health risks at the beloved resort.^[] 

Between exposure to infections and severe injuries caused by the amusement park’s attractions, patients should know that one of America’s most beloved vacation destinations could pose serious health risks. 

Fecal matter exposure

Instagram user @archandcastle claims in a video that Disney World visitors have been defecating while waiting in lines for rides. At times, commenters claim, parents allow their children to defecate so as not to leave the line. 

The video cites a Reddit thread in which user @Phoenixwade posted, “I am in the queue for [Rise of the Resistance] - someone let their kid [defacate] on the floor, and then they just walked out and left it…” In response, users backed up the claim, saying that this happens regularly. One former employee allegedly had to “clean urine and vomit off of [Rock 'n' Roller Coaster]” several times.^[] 

Last year, Disney Dining reported that the “usually family-friendly wave pool turned into a scene of shock when a cluster of boys, who appeared to be teenagers, gathered in the shallow end” to defecate in the water intentionally.^[] 

In fact, there have been so many such instances at Disney that SF Gate reported the park refers to the issue as a “Human Code H,” prompting custodial employees to tend to the matter. Research shows that Enterococcus faecium can survive up to 4 months on dry, inanimate surfaces. The bacteria can even grow or thrive in water, soil, plants, and food.^[][] 

Enterococci infections can be difficult to treat, especially in a clinical setting. Infection symptoms can vary, including fever, fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, pain, and urinary issues.^[] 

They are a common cause of “UTI, bacteremia, and infective endocarditis and rarely cause intra-abdominal infections and meningitis,” according to StatPearls. “They have intrinsic resistance to some antibiotics and acquire and transfer resistance to other bacteria via mobile genetic elements.”^[] 

E. faecium isn’t the only bacteria known to cause illness after exposure to fecal matter. In 2021, at least 27 people were infected by shigella bacteria and norovirus after being exposed to water contaminated by fecal matter at a Kansas wildlife park.^[] 

Vaginal lacerations

Beyond exposure to fecal matter, Disney World visitors have also sustained injuries on certain rides, including the Humunga Kowabunga water slide. According to a CBS News article, a woman celebrating her 30th birthday at the amusement park filed a lawsuit after she experienced “severe vaginal lacerations and internal organ damage” when going down the slide (which can send riders down at nearly 40 mph).

The water was “violently forced inside her," and the woman experienced “immediate and severe pain internally and, as she stood up, blood began rushing from between her legs." NBC News also reported lacerations caused the woman’s bowels to “protrude through her abdominal wall.”^[][]

“At the top of the slide, riders are instructed to cross their legs at the ankles, according to the complaint. The woman alleges in her suit that she was put at risk for injury when she became airborne and was slammed against the slide, increasing the likelihood of her legs becoming uncrossed,” the authors wrote. 

Dr. Rahman explains how the Disney slide could have impacted the passenger: “In this situation…the water acts as a shearing force to cause significant laceration that ended up causing what seems to be enough force inside the vagina that her bowels or internal organs eviscerated, and she had internal injury,” she says. 

To protect against this sort of injury, Dr. Rahman encourages female amusement park visitors to keep their legs crossed when possible and to consider wearing more protective clothing, like a wet suit instead of a bikini or one-piece swimsuit. 

“Lastly, avoid things that are too dangerous. Maybe skip the ride if you do not have the appropriate clothing or protection in place that would allow the force of water to cause this injury,” Dr. Rahman adds.