MONROE - As of Monday, four days had passed since any health care provider has reported a new case of E. coli 0157:H7 to the Green County Health Department. And it had been 12 days since the last confirmed case on Wednesday, Sept. 7, amid an outbreak in Green County that sickened eight and claimed the life of one small child.
"This is encouraging news, but it doesn't provide any answers, especially to those severely impacted," RoAnn Warden, director of Green County Health Department, said Monday.
Individuals with symptoms of E. coli infection are being checked by health care providers, and in the past four days, all cases have been negative for E. coli 0157:H7, she added.
The Green County Health Department and Wisconsin Department of Public Health confirmed nine cases of E. coli in Green County on Thursday, Sept. 15.
The department is continuing with its investigation into a common source of the cases, which occurred from mid-August to early September.
"We are still investigating; we have not given up," Warden said. "We are collecting more data from the previous cases, looking at person-to-person activities, food and animal exposures," she added.
Finding a common source of an E. coli outbreak is not easy. Warden noted that a common source is identified in only about 10 to 20 percent of outbreaks.
Of the nine confirmed cases, two people were hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication that causes kidney disease. One of those individuals, a 20-month-old child, died; the other recovered. A third person was hospitalized for dehydration, according to Warden.
Most of the cases were found among children under 7 years old, and half of the cases were deemed to have occurred through household transmissions. Most of the cases were in the Monroe area.
In adults, E. coli O157:H7 infections generally resolve within one week. About one third of children infected with the bacterium will carry and shed the organism in their stool for up to three weeks.
E. coli O157:H7 is a bacterium that infects the intestinal tract and may produce a toxin that affects other parts of the body as well.
Infections usually cause diarrhea, which is often bloody, and severe abdominal cramps. There is generally little or no fever. The symptoms of infection typically appear from three to eight days, but usually about three to four days, following exposure.
"This is encouraging news, but it doesn't provide any answers, especially to those severely impacted," RoAnn Warden, director of Green County Health Department, said Monday.
Individuals with symptoms of E. coli infection are being checked by health care providers, and in the past four days, all cases have been negative for E. coli 0157:H7, she added.
The Green County Health Department and Wisconsin Department of Public Health confirmed nine cases of E. coli in Green County on Thursday, Sept. 15.
The department is continuing with its investigation into a common source of the cases, which occurred from mid-August to early September.
"We are still investigating; we have not given up," Warden said. "We are collecting more data from the previous cases, looking at person-to-person activities, food and animal exposures," she added.
Finding a common source of an E. coli outbreak is not easy. Warden noted that a common source is identified in only about 10 to 20 percent of outbreaks.
Of the nine confirmed cases, two people were hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a complication that causes kidney disease. One of those individuals, a 20-month-old child, died; the other recovered. A third person was hospitalized for dehydration, according to Warden.
Most of the cases were found among children under 7 years old, and half of the cases were deemed to have occurred through household transmissions. Most of the cases were in the Monroe area.
In adults, E. coli O157:H7 infections generally resolve within one week. About one third of children infected with the bacterium will carry and shed the organism in their stool for up to three weeks.
E. coli O157:H7 is a bacterium that infects the intestinal tract and may produce a toxin that affects other parts of the body as well.
Infections usually cause diarrhea, which is often bloody, and severe abdominal cramps. There is generally little or no fever. The symptoms of infection typically appear from three to eight days, but usually about three to four days, following exposure.