County and state health officials on Friday said several people have become ill after consuming water from a privately owned public water supply near Hebgen Lake.  The Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services has confirmed 14 cases of campylobacter gastrointestinal illness, a common sickness, the Gallatin County Health Department said in a statement Friday morning.

Information collected about the cases "strongly suggests that exposure occurred at the Campfire Lodge Resort," according to the statement. At least 70 more cases are considered "probable."  Along with county health agents and DPHHS, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality and Madison County Health Department are involved in the probe.

Camplobacteriosis symptoms include diarrhea, cramping, abdominal pain and sometimes fever within two to five days of exposure, according to the statement. The illness typically lasts one week. Indirect transmission of the bacteria through consumption of contaminated food or water is the most common vector of infection.

Anyone with questions or concerns should talk to their doctor or the health department at 582-3100.