Public
Health Officials Investigating wave of E. coli cases
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
Source of Article: http://www.bouldercounty.org/newsroom/templates/?a=1383&z=1
Initial
investigations indicate that on-campus dining is not related to the illness.
BCPH staff is working closely with CU and the Colorado Department of Public
Health and Environment (CDPHE) to identify the source of the outbreak and any
additional cases among students and the public.
“Our
number one priority is to protect the public’s health by identifying the source
of this outbreak. Therefore, we are asking anyone who has had symptoms of
diarrhea, specifically bloody diarrhea, since September 20th to contact their
healthcare provider or BCPH,” said Nisha Alden, BCPH
epidemiologist.
E.
coli infection is a diarrheal illness caused by several types of E. coli
bacteria. It is spread most easily when people eat or drink food or water
contaminated with human or animal feces or from infected symptomatic
individuals. E. coli is not spread through the air by coughing or sneezing.
Symptoms
of E. coli infection include sudden onset of watery diarrhea (often bloody),
abdominal cramping, and occasionally vomiting. About one-third of affected
people develop fevers. The disease is generally mild in adults, but it can be
severe and debilitating in the very young and the elderly. Infections with E.
coli 0157:H7 generally last 5-10 days. Anybody with watery and/or bloody
diarrhea should be seen by his or her health care provider as soon as possible.
E.
coli 0157:H7 infections are generally not treated with antibiotics because
antibiotics can increase the risk of more severe symptoms, such as hemolytic
uremic syndrome (HUS), resulting in acute kidney failure.
“Hand
washing is important, especially after using the bathroom,” said Pamela Talley,
CU Wardenburg Health Center physician. “People with
nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, or any other stomach
ailment should drink plenty of water or other liquids with electrolytes and
should not prepare food for others.”
In
order to prevent E. coli it is also important to thoroughly cook meat and
poultry, wash utensils and work surfaces after contact with raw meat, wash
fruit and vegetables thoroughly, and avoid unpasteurized juices and milk
products.
If
anyone has experienced these symptoms or would like more information, they
should call their healthcare provider or the BCPH Communicable Disease Control
Program at 303-413-7500 during normal working hours.
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