E. coli at Denver Stock Show came from kids' area; do people know the risks with petting zoos?
The Denver Post reports that exposure to animals at Denver's National Western Stock Show was the likely cause of an E. coli outbreak that occurred in the Denver area in January and February, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said today.
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Specifically, contact with animals in the "Feed the Animals" exhibit on the third floor children's area of the exposition center was probably where the outbreak originated, according to the extensive 15-page report.
A total of 30 cases were identified.
Children were disproportionately affected in the outbreak, suggesting a source that children would likely have more contact with than adults.
The report noted that the third floor children's area of the expo center had a variety of exhibits geared towards children, including pony rides, a playground area, cages housing rabbits and poultry, educational exhibits, and hands-on activities.
In addition, food vendors were also located on the floor.
One of the exhibits was the "Feed the Animals" exhibit, where calves, goats, lambs, pigs and other farm animals were brought in from private owners located throughout the region. …
There were opportunities throughout the day for the visitors to feed the animals.
While feeding the animals was not a risk for illness, touching them put the visitors at higher risk of developing E. coli infection.
The investigators said that while hand sanitizer dispensers were readily available in the "Feed the Animals" area, and there were numerous signs instructing visitors to practice hand hygiene, the use of the sanitizers "was not protective against the illness."
In addition, handwashing facilities with running water, soap and paper towels were not readily available in the area.
There were no signs that warned that animals could cause disease or any that specifically cautioned against sipping from cups or eating or drinking in the animal contact areas as well as the use of strollers in that area.
The investigators suggested that such signs be posted in the future.
Denver Bronco's Tony Scheffler stricken with E. coli
Denver Broncos tight end Tony Scheffler went to the Pro Bowl to tag along with teammates Brandon Marshall and Jay Cutler but was admitted to hospital upon returning.
Testing revealed he was suffering from E. coli, a bacteria that affected his lower intestine. The tight end might have picked up the bacteria during a visit to the Denver stock show, if not during his Hawaiian trek.
Scheffler was released after a three-day hospital stay and is returning to normal.
E. coli cases from Denver Stock Show now at 27
Denver Public Health reported Friday that the number of E.coli cases in an outbreak possibly linked to last month's National Western Stock Show has reached 27. Seven new cases have been discovered this week, with three reported on Wednesday and another four Thursday.
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E. coli cases from Denver Stock Show reach 23
The Denver Department of Health says three more cases of E. coli have been discovered in the past week in an outbreak believed to have started at the National Western Stock Show, bringing the total number of cases to 23.
Many of the cases are in children along the Front Range, from Boulder to El Paso County.
Several of the sick children go to day care and at least two of the cases appear to have happened after ill children came into contact with other sick children, according to the Colorado Department of Health and Environment (CDPHE).
It is unclear how the E. coli first spread at the Stock Show.
E. coli outbreak linked to Denver cattle show
Health officials are investigating an outbreak linked to Colorado's largest stock show after 20 people, including 17 kids, came down with E. coli O157.
Chris Urbina with Denver Public Health said a lab has confirmed 20 E. coli cases but the number is expected to grow.
The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a news release,
"While the investigation is ongoing, we suspect that these infections are linked to attending the National Western Stock Show, which was held in Denver from Jan. 10 to Jan. 25.”
Although health officials haven't pinpointed the exact cause of the E. coli, the common denominator in all the cases is the stock show, Urbina said.
Many schools and child care centers organized trips to the stock show, and many children attended with their families, so there is the potential that the number of cases could jump, health officials said.
On Wednesday, the CDPHE sent a letter to daycare centers alerting them to the outbreak and asking the staff to take special precautions.
For disease reporting or other questions please contact the CDPHE Communicable Disease program at 303-692-2700.
Salmonella in Colorado water supply: Doug Powell speaks with Mudflap
Salmonella has contaminated the city's water supply, sickening more than 200 people since last week. For everyone else, the inconveniences are immense.
Alamosa -- in the heart of the vast San Luis Valley, about 200 miles southwest of Denver -- draws its water from deep wells that tap the aquifer directly. Because the drinking water comes straight from the ground, it is not chemically treated.
John Pape, a state epidemiologist, said some residents may have continued to drink tap water after the warnings, adding, "Just because the government tells you not to do something doesn't mean you're not going to do it."
I got a chance to talk about the outbreak this morning on Denver's #1 for Country, KYGO, with morning show hosts Kelly, Mudflap and JoJo (right, exactly as shown). They found me via barfblog.com.
I said the flushing of the water system was a good idea, but the source of the original contamination needed to be identified so it could be prevented in the future. I also mentioned that the 5,000-strong community of south Galway, Ireland, has been under a boil-water advisory for the past five months after high incidences of Clostridium perfringens were detected in the Clarinbridge public water supply. In follow-up tests, trace levels of cryptosporidium were detected. There have been no reported cases of cryptosporidiosis but the boil-water notice has remained in place ever since.
A thorough investigation into the intricacies of a munincipal water supply becoming contaminated can be found in the Walkerton Commission of Inquiry, held after E. coli O157:H7 got into the water supply of Walkerton, Ontario in 2000, sickening half the town of 5,000 and killing seven.
