E. coli at camp; 13 Scouts sickened
My youngest daughter – although 13 seems fairly grown up -- just came back from camp, and is going to be joining Amy and me in Kansas in a week.
She went to camp for the first time when she was 7. At the time I wrote,
Looks like I picked the wrong week to send my kids to camp. From sea to diarrheal sea, North Americans have been stricken by illnesses most likely transmitted in food. Two years ago, Canada was just beginning to have some myths shattered about Canadian clean water as reports trickled out regarding an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Walkerton, Ont. In the end, 2,300 were sickened and seven killed, all in a town of 5,000.
Now, 29 attendees at a cheerleading camp in Washington State have been stricken with the same bug, including a teenager whose kidneys were so damaged that she is on dialysis. Sleuthing by health investigators sparked a U.S.-wide recall of a brand of Romaine lettuce on Monday, which was clearly implicated in the outbreak.
This morning, I could only sigh and be thankful my youngest returned without diarrheal incident.
Health officials have confirmed that at least 13 boys, all but one from Northern Virginia, contracted E. coli bacterial infections while attending a popular Scout camp in Goshen, Va. …
Since the outbreak, Scout officials have taken steps to reduce the risk of further contamination by temporarily removing ground beef -- a common source of E. coli -- from camp menus; distributing hand sanitizers; and encouraging hand-washing and proper hygiene.
At some point people may realize E. coli O157:H7 is present in the environment and could be in lots of foods and water – not just ground beef.
She went to camp for the first time when she was 7. At the time I wrote, Looks like I picked the wrong week to send my kids to camp. From sea to diarrheal sea, North Americans have been stricken by illnesses most likely transmitted in food. Two years ago, Canada was just beginning to have some myths shattered about Canadian clean water as reports trickled out regarding an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in Walkerton, Ont. In the end, 2,300 were sickened and seven killed, all in a town of 5,000.
Now, 29 attendees at a cheerleading camp in Washington State have been stricken with the same bug, including a teenager whose kidneys were so damaged that she is on dialysis. Sleuthing by health investigators sparked a U.S.-wide recall of a brand of Romaine lettuce on Monday, which was clearly implicated in the outbreak.
This morning, I could only sigh and be thankful my youngest returned without diarrheal incident.
Health officials have confirmed that at least 13 boys, all but one from Northern Virginia, contracted E. coli bacterial infections while attending a popular Scout camp in Goshen, Va. …
Since the outbreak, Scout officials have taken steps to reduce the risk of further contamination by temporarily removing ground beef -- a common source of E. coli -- from camp menus; distributing hand sanitizers; and encouraging hand-washing and proper hygiene.
At some point people may realize E. coli O157:H7 is present in the environment and could be in lots of foods and water – not just ground beef.
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August 12, 2008 9:41 PM
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I've been shocked at how people eat at those kinds of events. I've seen people use their one set of eating gear for every meal and never wash it....for an entire week. They also bring giant coolers filled with soda, food (raw meat and raw chicken), and ice. A few days in to the event and a lot of the ice has melted, and so the sodas float in the chicken water.