Clark County, WA Warns of Possible E coli O157 Risk
A child who recently tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 attended a supervised play area at Lake Shore Athletic Club near Vancouver, Washington while possibly contagious. Clark County Public Health and Lake Shore managers are asking parents to watch for symptoms among children who visited the play area between July 10 and August 4.
Clark county health officials continue to work with Lake Shore management to contain the situation and eliminate any risk of additional exposures. The child’s positive test for E. coli was reported to Public Health by a clinical laboratory. The original source of the infection is not known. In a continuing investigation, Public Health is contacting people who may have been exposed at the athletic club or at other locations visited by the infected child or others who have reported symptoms possibly related to the incident.
To date, there are 30 probable cases of E coli O157 in the area that are associated with Lake Shore Athletic Club. Four of the probable cases are staff members of the athletic club and 28 are children who attended the supervised child care center.
Children who contract E coli O157:H7 infections are at risk for developing hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS-E coli), a severe illness that causes kidney failure, brain damage and death. Clark county officials recommend that children with symptoms of an E coli infection should see a health care provider immediately. In addition, their parents should contact Public Health at (360) 397-8022. The initial symptoms of an E coli O157:H7 infection include nausea, vomiting and diarrhea that may be bloody.
E. coli Investigation Closes Ellensburg, Washington Day Care Facilities
The Kittitas County Public Health Department has temporarily shut down two day cares in Ellensburg, Washington, Creative Kids Learning Center and Little Tot Town, because two children who attend the day cares have suspected E. coli infections, reports The Yakima Herald . According to health officials, a third child, a 5-year-old from Ellensburg, was hospitalized with a laboratory-confirmed E. coli infection. The 5-year-old is not related to the other two children, who are siblings. Health officials are investigating whether the three had contact with one another.
Children from the two day care facilities won’t be allowed to attend any day care center until they pass two tests showing they are free of E. coli.
In April, an E. coli outbreak at a day care in Vancouver, Washington resulted in the hospitalization of 4 children, one of whom died. Pritzker Olsen law firm is representing the family of the child who died.
Two Children E. coli Cases Investigated in Tri Cities area
By Kathy Will
The Northeast Tennessee Health Office is investigating the cause of E. coli poisoning in a 4-year-old boy hospitalized in Johnson City, Tennessee. Media reports indicate he is the second child in the past month to received treatment for E. coli poisoning at the same hospital — the Johnson City Medical Center.
The family of the latest boy told TriCities.com that they suspect he may have contracted the bacterial infection while at a cow exhibit at a local fair. The boy was scheduled to receive a blood transfusion late this week.
E. coli O157:H7 produces a toxin that attacks the blood cells of people it infects. The situation can lead to hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, the leading cause of kidney failure among U.S. children.
Beth Rader, a spokeswoman for the Northeast Tennessee Health Office, told WJHL-TV that officials have not identified a source for the E. coli illnesses. If it proves to be related to an animal show, it would be the second time this year that the disease was spread at such a gathering. Late last year and early this year, an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak was tied to the Western National Livestock Show in Denver. National law firm Pritzker Olsen attorneys currently is representing victims of the Colorado outbreak and has years of experience representing families whose children have been stricken by E. coli HUS. For more information, contact the firm at 1-888-377-8900 (toll free).
E. coli Prevention at Animal Exhibits
Although these cases of E. coli have not been associated with the cow exhibit at the local fair, the E. coli prevention information from the CDC below should be shared with animal exhibitors, parents, daycare workers and school officials. E. coli is preventable, but it takes everyone working together to make a difference.
- Information should be provided. Persons providing public access to farm animals should inform visitors about the risk for transmission of enteric pathogens from farm animals to humans, and strategies for prevention of such transmission. This should include public information and training of facility staff. Visitors should be made aware that certain farm animals pose greater risk for transmitting enteric infections to humans than others. Such animals include calves and other young ruminant animals, young poultry, and ill animals. When possible, information should be provided before the visit.
- Venues should be designed to minimize risk. Farm animal contact is not appropriate at food service establishments and infant care settings, and special care should be taken with school-aged children. At venues where farm animal contact is desired, layout should provide a separate area where humans and animals interact and an area where animals are not allowed. Food and beverages should be prepared, served, and consumed only in animal-free areas. Animal petting should occur only in the interaction area to facilitate close supervision and coaching of visitors. Clear separation methods such as double barriers should be present to prevent contact with animals and their environment other than in the interaction area.
- Handwashing facilities should be adequate. Handwashing stations should be available to both the animal-free area and the interaction area. Running water, soap, and disposable towels should be available so that visitors can wash their hands immediately after contact with the animals. Handwashing facilities should be accessible, sufficient for the maximum anticipated attendance, and configured for use by children and adults. Children aged <5 years should wash their hands with adult supervision. Staff training and posted signs should emphasize the need to wash hands after touching animals or their environment, before eating, and on leaving the interaction area. Communal basins do not constitute adequate handwashing facilities. Where running water is not available, hand sanitizers may be better than using nothing. However, CDC makes no recommendations about the use of hand sanitizers because of a lack of independently verified studies of efficacy in this setting.
- Hand-mouth activities (e.g., eating and drinking, smoking, and carrying toys and pacifiers) should not be permitted in interaction areas.
- Persons at high risk for serious infections should observe heightened precaution. Farm animals should be handled by everyone as if the animals are colonized with human enteric pathogens. However, children aged <5 years, the elderly, pregnant women, and immunocompromised persons (e.g., those with HIV/AIDS) are at higher risk for serious infections. Such persons should weigh the risks for contact with farm animals. If allowed to have contact, children aged <5 years should be supervised closely by adults, with precautions strictly enforced.
