About E. coli
According to the Mayo Clinic website:
Escherichia coli (E. coli) bacteria normally live in the intestines of healthy people and animals, and most varieties of E. coli are harmless or cause relatively brief diarrhea, according to information on the Mayo Clinic website.
But E. coli O157:H7 produces a powerful toxin that damages the lining of the small intestine and can cause severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.
Potential sources of exposure include contaminated food or water, and person-to-person contact.
Healthy adults usually recover from infection with E. coli O157:H7 within a week, but young children and older adults and people who have weakened immune systems are at higher risk of experiencing illness caused by E. coli and more serious complications from the infection. They can develop a life-threatening form of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a condition that results from the abnormal premature destruction of red blood cells.
Signs and symptoms of E. coli O157:H7 infections typically begin three or four days after exposure to the bacteria, though illness may appear as soon as one day afterward to more than a week later. Signs and symptoms include diarrhea, which may range from mild and watery to severe and bloody; abdominal cramping, pain or tenderness; nausea and vomiting, in some people.
Health officials urge people to take precautions such as washing hands with plenty of soap and water after bowel movements and after food preparation, and also to stress proper handwashing habits to their children. People should also wash hands after contact with cattle and manure.
- Source: Mayoclinic.org.
MONROE - An outbreak of E. coli in Green County has left one dead and sickened eight others.
State health officials are investigating and trying to pinpoint the source of the outbreak, which affected the nine people between mid-August and early September, the Associated Press reports. Department of Health Services spokeswoman Stephanie Smiley confirmed one person has died, but declined additional comment, citing confidentiality.
But as of press time late Wednesday, the Green County Health Department has been mum on the situation.
The Monroe Times requested information on the outbreak from Green County Health Department Director RoAnn Warden at about 4:30 p.m. Wednesday. Warden refused to answer questions on the phone about the cases, or about the lack of earlier information about suspected cases, promising instead to issue a press release. At about 7:40 p.m., she e-mailed the Times to say she was not yet finished with the release. As of 10:30 p.m., the release was still unavailable.
Warden was, however, quoted on the Capital Times website in Madison earlier in the day. In a story initially posted at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Warden was quoted as saying "The Wisconsin Division of Public Health and our department here in Green County are investigating a cluster of nine confirmed E. coli 0157:H7 infections."
The Capital Times also reported that the death was that of a 20-month-old girl from Green County who died from the infection Sunday at UW Children's Hospital in Madison after being admitted about a week earlier.
Warden told the Capital Times that two patients had been diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication from E. coli that causes kidney disease. "We have not identified a common course of exposure," she said.
All those affected are from Green County, and some households had more than one case, the Capital Times reported. Warden said they have been geographically spread out, with some in the outlying portions of the county.
Smiley advised people to prevent infections by washing their hands, especially after coming into contact with cattle or manure, and to avoid eating raw or undercooked meat.
Other city and county officials had limited or no knowledge of the outbreak.
The Monroe Times spoke to some members of the Green County Health Committee Wednesday evening. Dr. John Frantz, a citizen member on the committee, said he had heard about three suspected cases of E. coli in the county at a committee meeting last week, where Warden was in attendance.
"Confirmation was pending tests at the state laboratories," he said.
Harvey Kubly, vice-chairman of the Green County Health Committee, said he was unaware of reports of E. coli in the county, and directed questions to Warden.
The committee is an oversight committee that "doesn't get involved in the day-to-day workings" of the county health department, he said.
Julio Rodriguez, the committee chairman, could not be reached for comment Wednesday evening.
City of Monroe officials said late Wednesday afternoon that they had not been informed of a suspected outbreak of E. coli in Green County.
City Administrator Phil Rath said he was not aware of the city being notified of any cases, suspected or otherwise.
Once informed of the initial media reports out of Madison, Mayor Bill Ross said the city was not going to do nothing until confirmation of the tests were made public.
"Oh, no. If this has been going on for a month, where is the emergency response system warning people of cautionary things they can do" to reduce the risk of infection? he questioned.
Alderman Brooke Bauman, chairman of the city's board of health, said she had not been aware of any suspected cases or testing for the infection.
"Now that the city knows, the city has a duty to inform and educate the people," she said. "We need to educate people about what E. coli is and what to look for."
Bauman said the city has various ways to distribute information to the public, including through the Times, local radio and the city's own website and cable television station.