Officials track Ann Arbor E. coli outbreak
Michigan health officials are tracking an E. coli outbreak involving more than 10 individuals in the county that contains Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti.
“We are in the early stages of our investigation,” said Dr. Diana Torres-Burgos, MD, MPH, Medical Director for Washtenaw County Public Health, “and we are doing everything we can to identify probable cases and to prevent any additional illness.”
The health department’s press release doesn’t contain any hints on what food source may be causing the outbreak, but an epidemiological probe is under way. Victims are being questioned about what they ate seven days prior to falling ill.
Patients in this outbreak have complained of abdominal cramping followed by worsening diarrhea, often including bloody stools. Anyone suffering these symptoms is urged to see a physician and request testing for E. coli. Any positive result should be reported immediately to the county health department.
Estimates are imprecise, but microbiologists guess that more than 70,000 Americans fall ill every year from E. coli bacterial infections, the largest source of which is contaminated ground beef. Of those infected, more than 5 percent develop life-threatening HUS E. coli, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, the leading cause of kidney failure in children and the leading cause of E. coli deaths.
HUS and an associated condition known as thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) also present risks of serious long-term health issues related to damage that E. coli and its toxins can cause to the central nervous system, brain and heart.
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is monitoring this outbreak and will provide additional information as it becomes available.
Tags: E. coli lawyer, E. coli Outbreak
