The Associated Press

PUT-IN-BAY, Ohio - A mysterious illness on Lake Erie's South Bass Island has sickened dozens of tourists and residents, leaving health officials searching for an answer.

In the past two weeks, health officials have documented 78 cases, and they are investigating more than 90 others, said Nancy Osborn, director of the Ottawa County Health Department.

"We're still looking for the link," she said.

Victims say they've suffered nausea, chills, fever, abdominal cramps and vomiting. Symptoms have generally lasted about 24 hours.

Tracy Bennett, 42, said she and her sister spent a day at the island three weeks ago. "We both got very sick, like clockwork after two days. We were sick for two days," she said.

The illnesses come at the height of tourist season on the island, just a few miles offshore and halfway between Toledo and Cleveland.

Put-in-Bay, a summer getaway known for its bed-and-breakfast inns, wineries, beaches and bars, draws about 15,000 people by boat on the weekends.

The village's mayor, Mack McCann, said water and sewer inspections have found no problems.

The county health department hopes to know more by the end of the week, when it expects to receive results of tests from the Ohio Department of Health, Osborn said.

Bobbi Cousino, 26, of Toledo, said she and two co-workers became sick after visiting the island a week ago. "One second you're kind of hot, then you get cold," she said. "It's a feeling I've never had. It wasn't a fun experience."