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Four people who became ill after an
E.coli outbreak have the same strain of the bug, tests have shown.
The National Public Health Service
for Wales (NPHS) said all four cases in Wrexham were confirmed as E.coli
O157 phage type 2.
Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, 32, is in
intensive care and three-year-old Abigail Hennessey, is in hospital. Two
women are recovering at home.
The Llay Fish Bar, Llay, is closed
while a possible link is investigated.
In a statement, Dr Judy Hart, of the
NPHS, said: "Laboratory testing has now confirmed all four cases as
E. coli O157 phage type 2.
"This suggests that they are all
part of the same outbreak and their illness is linked. Further tests will
now be conducted to confirm whether the samples from the four cases in
Wrexham are absolutely identical.
"It is important to stress that
as the investigation continues, we are examining all possible sources of
the illness including foreign travel, agricultural and leisure
activities, as well as food and water consumed before the beginning of
illness."
She said no new cases have been
confirmed and it is believed the incident which caused the food poisoning
occurred a few weeks ago.
Dialysis
Jeff and Sarah Hennessey, from
Wrexham, said their daughter Abigail was on dialysis for five days, but
was now off the machine, recovering at Alder Hey Hospital in Liverpool
and "eating and drinking quite well".
Both Abigail and her mother ate at
the Llay Fish Bar, but cannot be sure they picked up the infection there.
Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, from
Wrexham, also ate food from the chip shop, and remains "seriously
ill" at the town's Maelor Hospital.
Her mother has criticised Wrexham
council after its inspection of the premises a year ago found poor
hygiene conditions.
The inspection also found major
non-compliance with food legislation and the authority gave its lowest
possible star rating of zero stars.
Pierre Bartlett, the solicitor for
Ramazan Aslan, the owner of the fish bar, said his client was
co-operating fully with the investigation and his thoughts were with the
families of those who are ill.
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