Child E. coli HUS case Prompts Look at County Fair
Three children aged 5 through 15 were all sickened by shiga toxin-producing E. coli after attending the Northwestern Michigan County Fair. If the cause of the illnesses came from the fair, officials say the most likely source of transmission was contact with animals that carried the bacteria.
The cluster of E. coli is being investigated by the Michigan state health authority and the Grand Traverse County Health Department. 9 & 10 News reported tonight that one of the children remains hospitalized. Children under 5 are in the age group most susceptible to developing a complication of E. coli infection known as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). HUS can keep children hospitalized for lengthy periods with kidney failure and many other impairments caused by the toxin.
Michigan health officials are taking the opportunity of the outbreak to remind families to practice strict hand hygiene at county fairs and other animal exhibits. Cattle and other animals shed E. coli from their feces and it can survive on the hides of cattle and other animals.
Canadian E. coli Outbreak Associated With Festival
At least 26 people have fallen sick from a suspected E. coli outbreak in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Canadian health officials have associated the majority of cases with food eaten at the Russsian pavilion of the annual Folklorama multicultural festivals, CBC News-Radio Canada reports. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority issued a warning last week after 15 suspected cases had surfaced since the beginning of August.
Of those who have become sick, 14 have been confirmed to have E. coli, including two children who are still recovering in hospital, according to the CBC report. Folklorama ended August 14, but there is a risk of secondary infection. Once someone has eaten contaminated food, the infection can be passed person to person, by hand-to-mouth contact.
Valley Meat E. coli Recall Amended
USDA has ammended its recall announcement regarding Valley Meat Company, Modesto, California, a meatpacker that recalled about 1 million pounds of frozen hamburger patties and other ground beef due to possible E. coli 0157:H7 contamination. 
The meat has been associated with a cluster of 7 E. coli infections in people who live in California.
The recall announcement is being amended to revise the geographic distribution and to note that some of the recalled products were distributed to a firm in California for further processing. The further-processing facility is not named. The products subject to recall bear the establishment number “EST. 8268″ inside the USDA mark of inspection as well as a production code of 27509 through 01210. These products were produced on various dates between Oct. 2, 2009 and Jan. 12, 2010. They were distributed to retail outlets and institutional foodservice providers in California, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Arizona and internationally, and to a firm in California for further processing, the amended recall said.
USDA became aware of the problem on July 15 when the agency was notified by the California Department of Public Health (CDPH) of a small E. coli O157:H7 cluster of illnesses with a rare strain as determined by DNA fingerprinting. A total of six patients with illness onset dates between April 8 and June 18, 2010 were reported at that time. After further review, CDPH added another patient from February to the case count, bringing the count to seven.
FSIS is continuing to work with the CDPH and the company on the investigation. Anyone with signs or symptoms of foodborne illness should contact a health care provider.
Ohio State Researchers Connect E. coli to Swimmers
New research released by The Ohio State University reported that there is a direct link with high E.coli levels and swimmers becoming ill. 
The report also states that testing for E.coli can take up to 18 hours and that swimming advisories are usually posted a day late.
Mary Clifton with the Ohio Department of Health told NBC4-TV in Columbus, Ohio, that there is a push to get more rapid testing. The problem is that there is not an improved standard test yet to do rapid testing. The Ohio State research report said that better methods need to be in place to protect lakes from being contaminated in the first place. Shiga toxin-producing E. coli bacteria grow in the guts of cattle and other animals. The animals shed the pathogen in their feces and it can be washed into waterways during rains.
E. coli in Drinking Water at New Jersey Amusement Park
Drinking water at Land of Make Believe amusement park in Hope Township, New Jersey has tested positive for E. coli bacteria, according to local news outlets. The park will undergo plumbing repairs and water use restrictions, Warren County Health Officer Peter Summers told news sources. Over 50 years old, the park will remain open and Summers says the facilities are safe for visitors. The pool water has not tested positive for E. coli, the harmful pathogen that can cause serious illness if ingested, especially in children and the elderly.
“With the temporary measures [the amusement park] put in place, it’s safe for them to operate,” Summers said.
According to the news report, Warren County officials found out in late July that one of five drinking water samples taken from the park had tested positive for E. coli. Visitors are being instructed not to drink the water. Plumbing repairs have finished and the park’s drinking water will be tested again this week. So long as the park is taking steps to remedy the issue, no fines will be imposed. News reports cited that the Land of Make Believe did receive a violation in 2009 from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for “unpermitted discharge to ground or surface water from a septic system.”
Source:
http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/warren-county/index.ssf?/base/news-3/1282104315245270.xml&coll=3
Lincoln NE Area Lake Tainted With E. coli
A popular recreational lake in the greater Lincoln, Nebraska, area has been found with very high levels of E. coli. The Nebraska Department of Environmental Quality has not closed Branched Oak Lake to swimming or other recreation, but people should avoid drinking the water.
A test taken August 12 of the lake revealed E. coli levels at 1,300 parts per 100 milliliters. Any count greater than 235 is considered high, said Brian McManus, a department spokesman. Officials did not say what caused the spike in E. coli levels in the lake, but runoff from heavy rain has been known to increase E. coli levels in some lakes. The pathogen grows in the guts of cattle and some other animals and is expelled in the animals’ feces. The bacteria can cause bloody diarrhea and painful stomach cramping. In 5 to 15 percent of infections, patients develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in children.
McManus told JournalStar.com that weekly testing of the lake will continue.
E. coli in Water Supply Prompts Advisory in New York Community
Residents of Green Acres Mobile Home Park in Hornellsville, New York will have to boil their water as a precaution against E. coli contamination, according to local news sources. The Steuben County Department of Public Health and Nursing Services issued the advisory this weekend after some of the park’s water tested positive for E. coli, which is a harmful pathogen that can cause serious health effects, especially to the elderly and children.
“Over the weekend, the health department did some testing and they did find E. coli in one portion of the park,” town supervisor Ken Isaman said. “They also discovered that not only is city water being used there, but one of the old wells is serving the park. But those wells were supposed to be discontinued when they started using city water … The whole park is under a boil water advisory.”
Underground piping may have leaks or be failing, Isaman told news sources, and there are repairs that need to be made by the trailer park operator and a whole new infrastructure will have to be put in place in the community of about 50 residents. Water tests indicated a lack of chlorine in the park’s water supply, meaning that well water, which shouldn’t have been used, was being used in place of city water, Isaman said.
E. coli Well Water Contamination
Elliot Olsen, an E. coli attorney has represented people sickened by E. coli contaminated well water. “Our client was a family living in a rental property in rural Iowa when their toddler became sick with E. coli from the property’s contaminated well water,” Olsen said. “She then developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or E. coli HUS, and had to undergo extensive medical treatment. The effects of contaminated water can be just as serious as the effects of food poisoning, and well owners and operators need to understand that.”
Source:
http://www.eveningtribune.com/topstories/x2092794659/E-Coli-found-at-Green-Acres-trailer-park
