Public health searching for cause of E. coli cases
Two confirmed cases, three more suspected in Niagara
Posted By
JOHN ROBBINS / Review Staff Writer
Public health officials are trying to pinpoint the source
of a food-borne E. coli outbreak in So far, there are two confirmed and three
suspected cases of the potentially serious infection. Four of the five cases have been linked to
food consumed at the Little Red Rooster, a Niagara-on-the-Lake eatery. The
restaurant, which is located at Dr. Robin Williams, Niagara Region's
medical officer of health issued a public advisory Saturday, appealing for
anyone with symptoms of E. coli poisoning – such as bloody diarrhea and
severe abdominal pain – to come forward in hopes that new information will
assist in determining the source. The nature of incident has prompted public
health to broaden its search, including the investigation of other food
establishments and distributors, said Glen Hudgin,
manager of environmental health. “The process basically is to find out from
the persons who have been ill what their food history is for the last number
of days," Hudgin told The Niagara Falls
Review, Sunday. "That means that we have in fact gone out to a number of
different food premises within the region to look at those facilities and to
collect food samples from the items those people would have had in their meals.”
Hudgin could provide no additional information about the
victims, except that none of them had been hospitalized. A call to the Little Red Rooster Sunday
afternoon went unanswered. Public health officials say the
restaurant's owners have been co-operating with the investigation, and have
provided full access for sampling and inspection since the problem was
identified. It’s not yet known if there’s any
connection between these cases and a much larger outbreak in “We haven’t found any connection at this
point, but we continue to look at that (possibility,” Hudgin
said. As
of Friday, the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit was reporting a
total of 209 cases of E. coli – including 39 cases conrfimed
by laboratory testing as the potentially deadly E. coli 0157:H7 strain. The
outbreak has been linked to a As reported in the Niagara Falls Review
last week, two Niagara region residents are suspected of having become ill as
a result of the Hudgin said the two individuals from Niagara connected to
the The source of the Anyone who has experienced bloody diarrhea
and severe abdominal pain, with or without fever, at anytime from Oct. 11 to
the present is asked to contact Niagara Region Public Health at 905-688-8248,
ext. 7330 or 905-984-3690 (evenings and weekends). |
Copyright (C) All rights reserved under FoodHACCP.com
If you have any comments, please send your email to info@foodhaccp.com
