The Allegheny County Health Department is announcing that there are several cases of E. coli O157:H7 illness among employees and customers of The Porch restaurant in Oakland, Pennsylvania. Health care providers are asked to test patients if they present with bloody diarrhea or other symptoms of this infection.
Five people have been diagnosed with E. coli O157:H7 infections since October 1, 2013, and four of those people were hospitalized for that illness. All are recovering.
Dr. Karen Hacker, Health Director of the Department, said in a statement, “we’re urging health care providers to test for E. coli to see if there are any additional cases linked to this outbreak so we can stop further transmission of the disease.” E. coli is spread through contaminated food, and it can be spread person to person.
The Porch restaurant is cooperating fully with the investigation. The restaurant has voluntarily closed, and will re-open on October 31, 2013, after being approved by the Health Department.
If you have developed the symptoms of an E. coli infection, including bloody or watery diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, mild fever, vomiting, and nausea, please see your doctor immediately. And call the Health Department at 412-687-2243. This strain of bacteria can cause serious illness. Symptoms usually appear three to four days after exposure and can last up to a week. Most people do see a doctor because these symptoms are painful and alarming. A good proportion of people with E. coli infections do need to be hospitalized.
Some E. coli patients can develop a complication called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure. Symptoms of this illness include little or no urine output, lethargy, easy bruising, a skin rash, and bleeding from the nose or mouth. Anyone with these symptoms needs to see a doctor as soon as possible since it can be life threatening.
