A child has died and another is seriously ill in an E. coli outbreak that may be associated with the Oxford county fair in Maine. The Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating this outbreak along with officials from the Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry and state veterinarians. Both children attended the fair last month. Public health officials are investigating the fair and taking samples from animal exhibits and other venus. Little Colton Guay died after developing hemolytic uremic syndrome a week after attending the fair according to the Boston Globe. HUS is a serious complication of an E. coli infection that attacks the kidneys and can cause strokes, seizures, and kidney failure. The 21-month-old was in his stroller when the family visited … [Read more...]
North Dakota E. coli Outbreak at Red River Valley Fair
An E. coli outbreak at the Red River Valley Fair in West Fargo is being investigated by the North Dakota Department of Health. Three children, all under the age of 18, are sick with this bacteria. The fair was held July 7 through July 12, 2015. One of the children has been diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication of a shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection. With HUS, red blood cells are damaged by shiga toxins. Those faulty cells then travel to the kidneys and cause damage that can lead to kidney failure. Michelle Feist, an epidemiologist with the Division of Disease Control said in a statement, "we are in the early stages of this investigation and are asking people who become sick with diarrhea or bloody diarrhea for more than 24 hours, within … [Read more...]
Milk Makers Fest E. coli Patient Still Hospitalized
Organizers of the Milk Makers Fest in Lynden, Washington, said one of the 45 case patients in an E. coli outbreak associated with the annual schools event remained hospitalized this week at St. Joseph Hospital in Bellingham. All together there have been eight hospitalizations among a case patient population dominated by first-graders from public schools throughout Whatcom County, including schools in Bellingham, Lynden, Ferndale, Meridian, Blaine, Nooksack Valley and Mount Baker. E. coli lawyers, medical experts, infectious disease investigators and a growing number of parents suspect the cause of the outbreak could be related to animal feces at the event's petting zoo or around other live animals on exhibit at the Milk Makers Fest. Still, officials from the Centers for Disease Control … [Read more...]
Parents Weigh Legal Options to Address Milk Makers Fest E. coli
Already emerging in discussions about a possible Milk Makers Fest E. coli lawsuit is whether adequate safeguards were in place to protect Whatcom County first-graders from E. coli poisoning that many experts are hypothesizing was linked to the Fest's animal exhibits and petting zoo. As the E. coli outbreak investigation continues, officials have identified 36 case patients, including sick children whose lab results are pending. At least five of the children have been hospitalized and the elementary schools around Bellingham, Blaine, Ferndale, Lynden and other Whatcom County communities are trying to find out what went wrong. Meanwhile, some parents of sick first-graders are contacting E. coli lawyers to weigh legal options that best suit the interests of their families. “We want … [Read more...]
Milk Makers Fest Mixed E. Coli and School Children at Fairgrounds
It was the 22nd annual Milk Makers Festival in Whatcom County, Washington, and 25 Lynden High School students helped set up a hay maze to go with a petting zoo, scavenger hunt and activities for younger kids to learn about raising calves and milking cows. When more than 1,300 first graders and their chaperones arrived for the three-day fest at Northwest Fairgrounds late last month, they also were joined by invisible pathogens from animal feces that caused an outbreak of potentially fatal E. coli infections, including a dreaded complication known as HUS E. coli. Lawyers for the childrens' families, scientists from the Whatcom County Health Department, state epidemiologists -- even experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -- are now trying to determine what went wrong. … [Read more...]
Six Kids in Lynden, Washington Sickened with E. coli
Six children in Lynden, Washington have been sickened with E. coli infections after attending a festival at the Northwest Fairgrounds on April 21 - 23, 2015, according to the Whatcom County Health Department. The Milk Makers Fest is held at the fairgrounds and is sponsored by the Whatcom County Dairy Women. Lab tests have confirmed three cases of E. coli poisoning. The Blaine School District has released a statement about a confirmed case of E. coli at their primary school. More than a thousand children from all school districts in the county were introduced to farming at the festival and could pet farm animals such as sheep, small horses, rabbits, chickens, and a calf. Hand sanitizers were provided at several locations during the event, but they are not a substitute for washing with … [Read more...]
Minnesota E. coli Lawyer Lauds State Health Department
Minnesota’s food poisoning investigators had a busy year with outbreaks in 2014, successfully tracing the cause of three separate clusters of E. coli hospitalizations and two waves of Salmonella infections. The efforts undoubtedly protected more people from contracting pathogen-related illnesses and gave victims of the solved outbreaks a chance to hold the purveyors accountable. A review by Food Poisoning Bulletin shows that four of the outbreaks had implications beyond the state’s borders, including findings of E. coli O157:H7 in celery that came from the Salinas Valley; E. coli O111 in cabbage purchased by units of a national restaurant chain and Salmonella Enteritidis in a frozen chicken breast product mass-produced in Illinois for the American retail market. “The Minnesota … [Read more...]
Oregon E. coli Death Spotlights Barnyard Risks For Children
Oregon health authorities have not disclosed the findings of their ongoing investigation into the September E.coli death of 4-year-old Serena Profitt and the E.coli illness of her friend Brad Sutton, 5. But Serena's mother, Rachel Profitt, told The Oregonian in an interview that the family's pet goat is considered a prime suspect. Profitt said there are still a lot of unanswered questions surrounding the illness and death of her daughter. E. coli was found in the goat's droppings but, but officials have not confirmed if it was a genetic match to the strain that sickened Serena and Brad. Goat dropping were among the samples health officials collected from the Profitt home, but stool samples from family members, including 2-year-old Hannah who was also sick around the time Serena became … [Read more...]
Keep Children Safe at Petting Zoos to Avoid HUS E. coli
HUS E. coli is a life-threatening disease that children can contract from exposure to pathogenc E. coli at petting zoos or other animal exhibits commonly visited in summer and fall by families on outings to apple orchards, pumpkin patches, festivals and fairs. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians sets a compendium of safety measures for animal venue operators to follow, but the health of children who touch animals, feed animals or even touch railings or enclosures comes down to handwashing and vigilance supported by the operators. In Minnesota, where state officials have investigated two sizable outbreaks of toxic E. coli infections at petting zoons in the past two years, the state Department of Health has published a Prevention Fact Sheet. It emphasizes two … [Read more...]
E. coli HUS Sickens Children in Oregon, Kentucky and Minnesota
E. coli HUS clusters targeting children have popped up in Oregon, Kentucky and Minnesota over the last month. A traveling petting zoo was found to be the source of an August E.coli outbreak in Minnesota that hospitalized three children and sickened 10 other people. Two of those hospitalized had HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, a life-threatening complication of E. coli infections that causes kidney failure, seizure, stoke and coma. Earlier this month, three children in Oregon and one in Washington were hospitalized with HUS. Health officials believe two of the cases are linked but have not pinpointed the source. The families of Brad Sutton, 5, and Serena Profitt, 4, spent time together before the children got sick. Brad remains hospitalized and has been receiving dialysis … [Read more...]
