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Three children's
cases of E. coli infection in London 'unusual'
Source
of Article: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5j1A9-Vkw6yQJQLRnNGLbosrqgnSA
By THE CANADIAN PRESS
– 17 hours ago
LONDON, Ont. — Three
cases of children diagnosed with E. coli infections in less than a week
have raised a red flag with health officials in London, Ont.
The Middlesex-London
Health Unit said Sunday three cases so close together is out of the
ordinary.
"It was the
frequency with which we saw them," said Dan Flaherty, the unit's
communications manager. "Normally we'd see a couple in a month, but to
see three in five days is unusual."
Flaherty added no
other cases have been reported since.
In two of the cases, a
spiced ground beef dish known as kofta is suspected as playing a role in
the illnesses. It was consumed after being purchased from Westmount Halal
Food Store in the city on June 14 and 15.
The source of the
third child's infection is unknown.
The health unit has
advised the public to stay away from ground beef purchased at the
independent store, and to ensure all beef is cooked to appropriate
temperatures.
The store's manager
said he was surprised when employees from the health unit showed up to
inspect his premises on Saturday.
"A lot of people
might have eaten the same thing, it was just those two kids who complained
about it," said Mohammed, who declined to give his last name.
"This is the
first time."
The store has been
selling their special mix of ground beef, spices and parsley for the past
five years and usually goes through more than 20 kilograms of the product
daily.
Mohammed said the
warning put out by health officials has already caused his business to drop
by 60 per cent.
"We depend on
selling meat here," he said.
Mohammed said health
officers inspecting the store found everything to be in order, but have
asked to meet with him again.
Abdominal pain and
mild to severe diarrhea are symptoms common to an E. coli infection.
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