Maybe it’s the summer interns, but reporters in Washington state should know that E. coli O157:H7 is a bacterium, not a virus. The crap that passes for journalism.

Whatever it’s called, two children at a third day care operation in Kittitas County are suspected of having contracted E. coli (not a virus, as repeatedly stated in this story).

The third facility, Foursquare Church Daycare and Preschool in Ellensburg, will remain closed through Friday, said Amy Diaz, spokeswoman for Kittitas County Public Health.

Eight youngsters have been confirmed to have the virus bacterium since the first case was reported June 25. Six additional cases are suspected, with test results pending.

The Columbian reported today that the aunt of 4-year-old Ronan Wilson (right), who died April 8 after contracting E. coli at his Hazel Dell in-home day care in Washington state, wants to know why the Clark County Department of Health did not let the public know about the outbreak until the day after Ronan died.

Savenia Falquist also questions why the day care children and their siblings continued attending school, possibly putting other children at risk, and why the health department did not at least alert health care providers about the outbreak.

When Ronan’s mother first took him to a doctor on March 29, the doctor did not think it was necessary to test for E. coli and diagnosed Ronan with the flu. Other parents of children at the day care have said they initially had difficulty getting doctors to approve a stool test, the only way to test for E. coli.

Falquist told Clark County commissioners at their monthly Board of Health meeting Wednesday that she’s trying to educate herself on the county’s policies for informing the public about communicable diseases, adding after the meeting,

“The intention is not to go after a county department that’s funded by the public. What I really want to do is rule out complacency.”

John Wiesman, the director of the health department, said the county typically only issues public health warnings when health officials can’t personally contact those potentially affected by a health threat. For example, a news release would be issued if a food services worker tested positive for hepatitis A and the county would have to warn people who ate at the worker’s restaurant.

A provider alert was not sent out about the E. coli outbreak at the day care because owners Larry and Dianne Fletch had contact information for all of the parents whose children attended the center, Wiesman said.

Wow. That’s terrible accountability. Alerts also raise awareness and provide lessons for others – oh, and may prevent people from getting sick. Maybe not directly, but it could enhance the conversations and culture surrounding food safety if others knew, oh, kids can get E. coli O157:H7 at day care.

A total of 14 people at the day care tested positive for E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. Three were hospitalized and 10 people had mild symptoms.

Children who tested positive were not allowed to go to a day care until they had two negative stool samples, 24 hours apart, Melnick said Wednesday. He said older children at the center or older siblings of children at the day care were still allowed to go to school because there aren’t the same concerns about transmitting the bacteria with older children. There aren’t diapers being changed, for example.

“The kids are older, and their hygiene is better,” Melnick said.

Any evidence to back up that statement?

News25 reports the Green River District Health Department is confirming 30 cases of the bacteria illness called Shigella in Daviess County. Now, the Kentucky Department of Public Health is getting involved.

"We haven't seen anything like this in a while," said GRDHD Regional Epidemiologist Janie Cambron.

NEWS 25 was the first to report health officials were investigating cases of Shigella in Daviess County. Since last Thursday, the number of confirmed cases jumped from 15 to 30. Health officials say none however stem from this past weekend's Bar-B-Q fest where extra hand sanitizer were distributed.

Two other counties in the state are also reporting high numbers of Shigella. Prompting the state to become part of the investigation.

Of the 30 confirmed cases in Daviess County, 27 are with kids ages 13 and younger. Cambron says she's talked with many concerned parents asking if their kids should stay home. If they attend a childcare center, they must be symptom free for 24 hours before returning.

Wash hands.

I’m going to the doctor’s for my annual check-up on Tuesday. I know I don’t exercise enough anymore, so I have high blood pressure; I’m old; I’m tired; having babies at 47 doesn’t keep one young, it keeps one old and tired. I’ve got other issues, like some form of motion sickness that makes me barf, but we won’t get into that. And I’m not sure there’s much the doctor can tell me. My problems are trivial.

The Oregonian reports that Bonnie Wilson took her sick 4-year-old, Ronan (right) , to the pediatrician on Monday, March 29. She says she told the doctor that another child in Ronan's day care had been hospitalized with the potentially deadly bacteria E. coli O157:H7. But Ronan's symptoms didn't fit that diagnosis.
The doctor suspected the sandy-haired, hazel-eyed boy had the flu and sent Wilson home with instructions to keep a close eye on him.

Guess Bonnie was supposed to use those magic goggles that let her see bacteria.

Ronan improved briefly, but that Thursday he was back at Evergreen Pediatric Clinic in Vancouver, dehydrated, constipated and so weak he needed help sitting up. The clinic sent him to Southwest Washington Medical Center for tests, and just as he arrived, his symptoms took a horrifying turn -- one that, in the end, changed the lives of everyone who knew Ronan Allen "Ro-Ro" Wilson.

On Saturday, a week after their boy's funeral, Bonnie and Anthony Wilson told their story. They want others to know the loving, curious, ambitious child they lost and to learn from their experience. They don't want another family to ever endure what they did.

The story goes on to say that a thousand questions remain, including: How did the E. coli outbreak start? Should doctors and public-health officials have done anything differently when children became ill? Will they do anything differently in the future? ...

The Wilsons hope that sharing their story will raise awareness about E. coli. They hope doctors and public-health officials will always act swiftly to inform the public about outbreaks. And they wonder whether Ronan might be alive if he'd been diagnosed sooner.