Six children infected with E Coli, officials confirm
by Paul Goetz
Mail News Editor
Local and state medical officials Tuesday confirmed six children in Chaffee County have been infected with Escherichia coli in the incident that began earlier in July.
With the incubation period for the bacteria nearing its end, Chaffee County Public Health Nurse Susan Ellis said Tuesday no new cases have been reported since about July 14.
She said 30 people will have been tested by Friday as investigators continue to seek the source of contamination.
Ellis said DNA from stool samples is being examined at the state laboratory in Denver. DNA samples from two of the children, she said, were identified as matching.
Although two adults were confirmed with E. coli infection, their DNA results were inconclusive, Ellis said.
"E. coli does not consistently shed (DNA)," Ellis said. "Sometimes we need more than one sample."
She said all DNA test results haven't been completed and may also prove inconclusive, leaving source of the infection a mystery.
Interviews with people having confirmed cases and others who had symptomatic cases have been conducted, Ellis said, to determine sources, date of onset, close contact with other individuals and restaurant meal and animal contact history
Ellis said she hopes to find a source soon because it would give parents peace of mind.
Incubation after infection may require one to eight days but illness usually appears within one to three days, Ellis said. E. Coli bacteria can be carried as long as three weeks after people are well.
This incubation period is nearing its end, Ellis said, although longer incubation periods of as long as 62 days have been recorded. Longer incubation times are more likely in children.
E. coli can be spread by ingesting contaminated food or water, through contact with animals carrying the bacteria, or contact with people who are ill.
Some infected people may not display any symptoms, but can spread the bacteria, health officials said.
Preventive action tips include:
• Washing hands before eating or preparing food, after using the toilet, changing diapers or handling uncooked meat.
• Cooking ground beef thoroughly to 160 degrees. Test the meat with a food thermometer in the thickest part. Don't eat ground beef that's pink in the middle.
• If a restaurant serves an under-cooked hamburger, send it back for more cooking. Ask for a new bun and a clean plate.
• Not spreading bacteria in the kitchen. Keep raw meat away from other food. Wash hands, cutting boards, counters, dishes, knives and forks with hot soapy water after they touch raw meat, spinach, greens, or sprouts.
• Drinking only pasteurized milk, juice, or cider. Frozen juice or juice sold in boxes and glass jars at room temperature has been pasteurized, although it may not say so on the label.
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