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.
.jpg)
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.
Parents pissed E. coli petting zoo reopening
The petting farm at the centre of an E.coli outbreak that left several children seriously ill and more than 90 people reporting symptoms of the infection, has reopened despite a storm of criticism from parents.
.jpg)
Godstone Farm in Surrey opened its play areas yesterday but kept all visitors out of contact with animals. The attraction, which is still under investigation by the Health Protection Authority, will hold Halloween-related events this weekend.
Tracy Mock, whose two-year-old twins spent weeks in hospital fighting the bug after visiting the site said she was "shocked" to hear of the opening.
"I was under the impression the farm was going to stay closed until they had finished their investigations."
But we've never had E. coli - petting zoo visitor freefall
Staff at the Stonebridge City Farm want to reassure potential visitors that the farm has never been affected by E. coli as the number of visitors continues to decline in the wake of a petting zoo outbreak that sickened 93 children.
Mark Barry, funding development worker at the farm in St Ann's, said,
"We've been quite severely affected by E.coli scare stories, but luckily, the last week has been excellent. We're E.coli free, like most city farms, and that message needs getting across."
Does that mean no illness or death has ever been connected to the farm? Does that mean the owners are routinely screening the animals for dangerous E. coli and have test results they can share with the public to bolster confidence?
The story also says that only one in 50 of all E. coli cases are linked to petting farms.
Such statistics may be factually correct but get sorta lost when 93 kids become unnecessarily sick from a leisure activity. People need to eat – they don’t need to kiss turtles and they don’t need to visit petting zoos.
All UK E. coli petting zoo kids released from hospital - illness toll remains 93
The final two children who remained in hospital following the E.coli outbreak at a Surrey farm have finally been allowed home, more than a month after the site was shut down by health officials.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said on Tuesday that the total number of E.coli cases linked to Godstone Farm still stood at 93, adding that "all children have been discharged from hospital."
Twin brothers Aaron and Todd Furnell, from Paddock Wood in Kent (right) underwent dialysis at St Thomas's Hospital in London after falling ill with the O157 strain of the infection following a visit to Godstone Farm.
Two-year old Aaron Furnell spent six weeks in hospital; he still has to be fed food through a tube.
The site closed on September 12, two weeks after the first case of E.coli was reported there.
A third out of 102 samples taken from animals were found to contain E.coli 0157, and the chief executive of the HPA, Justin McCracken, admitted the agency should have acted quicker in shutting the farm.
An independent investigation has been commissioned and will be led by George Griffin, professor of infectious diseases and medicine at St George’s, University of London, and chair of the advisory committee on dangerous pathogens.
Families affected will be asked if they want to have their say during the probe, which will look at how Godstone Farm was being operated, according to the standards and guidance set for open farms, and the response to the outbreak from all relevant parties.
Legal action is also being planned by some parents of children who were left seriously ill.
A spokesman for Godstone Farm said a decision on when the site will re-open could be made later this week.
E. coli O157:H7 linked to Western Fair in London, Canada, again, 10 years after 159 sickened
There are more people tragically sick with E. coli O157:H7 from what looks like another petting zoo.
.jpg)
But this would be especially tragic – or hopelessly sad -- if proven.
In 1999, 159 people, mainly children, were thought to be sickened with E. coli O157:H7 traced to goat and sheep at the 1999 Western Fair in London, Ontario. That’s in Canada.
Scott Weese, a clinical studies professor at the University of Guelph (that’s also in Canada) and colleagues reported in the July 2007 edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases that in a study of 36 petting zoos in Ontario between May and October of 2006, they observed infrequent hand washing, food sold and consumed near the animals, and children being allowed to drink bottles or suck on pacifiers in the petting area.
There’s been several outbreaks linked to petting zoos and state fairs in the U.K., Vancouver and Denver; and that’s just this year. A complete table of outbreaks is available at http://barfblog.foodsafety.ksu.edu/uploads/file/Petting%20zoo%20outbreaks%20chart%20bites(1).pdf.
Now, 10 years later, initial reports are emerging that four people who visited the Western Fair Agri-plex (that’s in London, Ontario, Canada) sometime between September 11 and 20, 2009, have been infected with the same strain of E. coli O157:H7.
The health unit is asking anyone who developed severe diarrhea after visiting the Western Fair to contact them at (519) 663-5317 ext 2330.
.jpg)
Hamburger, meat and foodborne illness. Who's to blame? And how do petting zoos fit into this worldview
Amy is a carnivore. First time I went to dinner at her place, almost four years ago, we couldn’t decide what to eat. Eventually, Amy said, let’s go to the supermarket, get a couple of steaks, and grill at home.
I was in love.
Amy’s grill (right) served us well, but the years took its toll. So we splurged and got a new BBQ – the Weber Genesis -- which I used for the first time last night. Whenever we get a new car, or grill, or pretty much anything, since I insist on owning things for 10 years until they are completely spent, I marvel at the technological advances. It was awesome.
We grill meat and vegetables pretty much every day. And maybe it’s not so cool after last weeks tragic story of E. coli O157:H7 victim Stephanie Smith, but we eat hamburgers – make them at home from ground beef and turkey.
The news is confusing: The N.Y. Times feature by Michael Moss that started the latest round of confusion said hamburger trim was mixed together from all sorts of places and no one wanted to test for E. coli O157:H7 (that’s what happens with a zero tolerance policy; don’t test, don’t tell). Subsequently the Times said in an editorial that the only way to be safe was to cook hamburger to shoe leather, and former Centers for Disease Control-type, Richard Bessler told Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America the only way to cook meat safely is to "cook it to the point where most people wouldn't want to eat it."
Former U.S. Department of Agriculture Undersecretary for Food Safety, Richard Raymond, responded on his blog that the Times story simplified a few things about testing and mixing, and that, “raw meat and raw poultry should not be considered to be pathogen free—ever.”
Then yesterday, the Minnesotans, home of Cargill, tried to poke a few more holes in the Times story.
Craig Hedberg, professor of environmental health sciences at the University of Minnesota, said,
“Testing of product, either raw materials or finished products, is something that has limited usefulness. We can’t test every square inch of an animal’s carcass to see if there’s bacteria present … it just would be too expensive.”
I’m not sure who we is, and playing cost off against human health is never a good tactic.
Ryan Cox, professor of meat science at the University of Minnesota said,
“If you were to go into a modern meat facility, it looks very similar to a surgical suite in a hospital.”
Especially with the sick people.
Cox explained that meat industry practices are so stringently regulated that “to infer in some way that we have an unsafe system would be certainly an error.”
(1).jpg)
Pete Nelson , who spent 35 years running a USDA-inspected facility, defended the multiple sourcing used by large processing plants. He cited the need for a steady supply of beef in case an individual slaughterhouse is not able to deliver on time, as well as the need for a variety of meats to ensure consistency. …
Both Nelson and Cox said consumers have an important role in food safety, especially in the handling and cooking of raw meats.
“We both agree on the fact that there really wouldn’t have been much of a story to begin with, particularly with the instance [The New York Times] cited with the food sickness, if the product had been cooked to the correct internal temperature.
Ouch. Blame the consumer. USDA stopped that in 1994.
Cross-contamination is a serious issue, as repeatedly pointed out on this blog and in our research, and that’s why pathogen loads have to be reduced as much as possible before entering a further processing plant, a restaurant, a grocery store or someone’s kitchen. And then, as Raymond says, never assume meat – or any raw food – is pathogen free. Same with animals. Those 90 kids that got sick with E. coli O157:H7 at a petting zoo in the U.K. weren’t dealing with meat from different sources.
And no one has to cook to shoe leather. Meat thermometers can help, and stick it in until 160F for hamburger.
Our steaks were a delicious 125F, climbing to about 135F over time.
Petting zoos and the fair
The North Carolina State fair is firing up here in Raleigh (the doors open to public on Thursday). I've never been to a state fair and am looking forward to participating in this slice of Americana. I'm all over tasting the fair foods like funnel cakes and turkey legs but I'll probably stay away from the deep fried butter (freeze sticks of butter, cut off 2 tablespoons, put it on a stick, bread it like chicken, and deep fry it).
The fair also brings petting zoo risks. The UK and Vancouver (Canada) have had recent tragic petting zoo stories and over at wormsandgerms Scott Weese detailed some of the things he saw at a recent Ontario event. I'm curious to see what the N.C. State Fair has for risk management tools, and if anyone is using them. .jpg)
Laura Hendley, frequent contributor to the foodsafe listserv, wrote a letter to her local paper detailing her praise over what she saw at a Helena (MT) event:
The Jim Darcy School PTA provided a petting zoo and pony rides at the recent Helena Education Foundation carnival on Sept. 20, at Memorial Park. Located at the exit to the petting zoo were two temporary hand-washing stations set up with potable water jugs filled with warm water, soap, paper towels and catch buckets. There was also hand sanitizer available.
Good stuff, without the tools it's difficult to practice good hand hygiene.
But just having the tools there might not be enough. Like we've seen with norovirus, it's a good idea to engage the petting zoo target audience (parents and kids) with compelling risk-reduction messages and conduct some sort of evaluation (no matter how crude) to see whether they work.
E. coli petting zoo delusion in the UK
This is how delusional some folks are about E. coli O157 in the U.K.
The Exmouth Herald reports that Nigel Lee, who runs the World of Country Life, has slammed the hype surrounding an E.coli scare as ridiculous after being told he can reopen all attractions following an investigation.
(1).jpg)
The U.K. Health Protection Agency recommended Lee close the animal portion of his attraction three weeks ago after three children who contracted the O157 strain of E. coli had potential links to the farm.
Of 30 samples collected from sheep, goats, chickens, rabbits, pigs and an empty calf pen, E. coli was detected in eight representing a mixed group of sheep, goats, chickens and also contained a rabbit.
A further positive result was found in a sample from a pig pen. Following the examination, the HPA advised the attractions could be re-opened.
Mr Lee was pissed with the HPA after they issued an incorrect media statement three weeks ago which implied the site was completely closed, stating,
"All the hype just got ridiculous. It was just the petting farm and deer train ride that was closed.”
Apparently Lee thinks sick kids is hype, and what about the 8 out of 30 positive samples?
Below is a table of petting zoo outbreaks, largely adopted from a list Bill Marler collected.
UK girl 'infected by E coli at farm six months before alert
Any time there’s an outbreak of foodborne illness, and someone says, “We’ve always done things this way and never had a problem,” there is an immediate cloud of suspicion hanging over that producer or retailer.
It’s probably the worst thing someone facing a food safety crisis can say.
The Brits are particularly pissed that Godstone Farm in Surrey, a petting zoo which appears to be the source of 87 E. coli O157 illnesses, including 12 kids in hospital, stayed open as long as it did.
It’s going to get worse.
According to the Times this morning, a five-year-old girl who suffered kidney failure in March is thought to have been made ill by E coli contracted at the same farm.
Holly Nethercoat (right) was kept in an isolation unit at Great Ormond Street hospital, London for two weeks after a visit to Godstone farm in Surrey.
The story says that despite the likelihood Holly contracted the bug at the farm, it was not informed. It is not mandatory to report E coli cases to the Health Protection Agency.
The agency refused to say whether it had been told of Holly’s case. However, Jackie Flaherty, owner of Godstone farm, said:
“We absolutely haven’t heard of any cases before August.”
Great Ormond Street said “good public health practice” meant the case should have been reported to the local health protection unit but it refused to say whether it had done so in Holly’s case because of patient confidentiality.
Mark Nethercoat, Holly’s father, said,
“My daughter went to hell and back, and I can only conclude it was because something was grossly wrong with both the farm and the Health Protection Agency.”
Mother of Canadian E. coli toddler questions E. coli response at BC petting zoo
The number of E. coli cases believed to be linked to the PNE has climbed from 13 last week to 18, and the mother of one sick child is questioning health officials' response.
Coquitlam, B.C., mother Caroline Neitzel says her 14-month-old daughter, Jacklyn (right), was infected with E. coli after a visit to the annual Vancouver fair on Sept. 5.
Neitzel said her daughter touched a number of different animals at the petting farm. She said she did her best to wipe her daughter's hands with wet wipes during that visit.
Despite her efforts, Jacklyn became very ill. At first doctors thought the toddler had the flu. Jacklyn was sent home twice before being admitted to Royal Columbian Hospital, according to her family.
"By that time, her eyes were rolling into the back of her head. She was just so lethargic," Neitzel told CTV News on Friday.
The toddler spent four days in hospital. Neitzel said she thinks her daughter would have been diagnosed earlier if health officials had issued a public warning when a cluster of E. coli cases was discovered.
Anna Marie D'Angelo, a spokeswoman for Vancouver Coastal Health, said the public was not alerted because there was no risk at the time.
"We became aware of the situation three days after the PNE had closed. So there was no risk to any future people getting this E. coli," she said.
Health officials say an alert would not have changed how a patient was treated at the hospital.
The PNE says E. coli has never been a problem in the past at the petting farm and that the fair has stringent hygiene measures in place, including signs and staff directing visitors to hand-washing stations.
UK toddler out of hospital after petting zoo kidney failure; 5th farm closes
Todd Furnell (right), a two-year-old boy who suffered kidney failure following an E.coli outbreak at a petting farm was discharged from hospital after two weeks. Unfortunately his brother was still on a drip and too unwell to be released.
The Health Protection Agency said yesterday that a fifth farm has partially closed after identifying a further five cases of E. coli O157 in people who had visited Big Sheep and Little Cow Farm.
Sick kids from petting zoo climbs to 79; parent vows never to visit farm again
Gemma Weaver, 24, of Bramley Close, has vowed to "never forgive the farm" after her three-year-old son, Alfie (right), suffered kidney failure following a visit to Godstone Farm.
“We are taking legal advice at the moment. I will never, ever be setting foot in a farm with my children again. Not just Godstone Farm but any farm."
Mrs Weaver said she still hadn't heard from (farm manager) Mr Oatway, who added,
“We will definitely be opening again. There are still ongoing investigations but we are sure we will open again."
Three more cases of E.coli linked to a children's petting farm have been confirmed - taking the number of people affected to 79.
First lawsuit filed in E. coli O157 outbreak linked to UK petting zoo
Solicitor Jill Greenfield said she was instructed by relatives of the "seriously ill" youngster to pursue a negligence claim against Godstone Farm in Surrey.
But she would not disclose her clients' names or the age of the child involved.
"We need to establish what went wrong and who if anyone is at fault. I would hope that the farm representatives and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) will agree to meet with me as soon as possible in order that I can establish the facts as quickly as possible.
"I have contacted both the farm and the HPA today suggesting a meeting this week and I wait to hear."
The HPA said eight children remained in hospital and 67 cases of E.coli have been linked to Godstone farm.
Animals test positive for E. coli O157 on Godstone Farm in Surrey, now linked to illness in 67 kids
The BBC is reporting that lambs, pigs, goats, cattle, ponies and rabbit droppings at a Surrey farm at the centre of an E.coli outbreak have tested positive , with a whopping 33 of 102 samples likely to contain the O157 strain of the infection.
.jpg)
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said the total number of E.coli cases linked to Godstone Farm had risen to 67.
Eight children remain in hospital in a "stable or improving condition."
64 UK kids now sick from Godstone petting zoo; 3 other farms closed; is telling people to wash their hands really enough?
With 64 kids now stricken with E. coli O157 related to visits at the Godstone farm in Surrey, the responses from the folks who run petting zoos could be a little more sympathetic, a little more reflective.
.jpg)
Instead, as reported by the Guardian tonight (tomorrow in the U.K.), Geoff Ford, who runs Docker Park farm in Lancashire, where children can feed pygmy goats (see 1999 Ontario Western Fair outbreak, below) by hand and stroke rabbits, said any ban would affect "children's environmental education” stating,
"It's going to get hyped up out of all proportion. It does away with children's environmental education. It's important that children realise what a chicken is, what a calf is – often they come here and ask 'is that a horse?'… We have run our farm for 20 years with no problems. But there is only so much you can do if people don't listen. The farm at the source of the outbreak in Surrey had big signs all over the place telling people to wash their hands, but some people don't give a damn."
The U.K. Department of Health responded today by announcing that the advisory committee on dangerous pathogens would be reviewing the current guidance on open farms and will advise on the need for additional precautions "in the light of the current outbreaks of E coli O157."
A Department of Health spokesman told the Telegraph,
“The risk of infection from E-coli O157 through petting farm animals can be prevented by following everyday good hand hygiene measures.”
All of these statements have serious problems.
.jpg)
• 64 kids sick with E. coli O157 is not hysteria, it sucks;
• anyone who says, “we have run our farm for 20 years with no problems” is unwilling to learn and a hazard to public health;
• telling people to wash their hands is insufficient – proper handwashing requires access to proper tools;
• even with proper tools, signs are not enough, as we showed with our recent handwashing compliance study at a university residence when everyone was barfing and awareness was high; and,
• the best handwashing may not be enough -- the E. coli O157:H7 that sickened 82 people in 2002 at the Lane County Fair in Oregon appears to have spread through the air inside the goat and sheep expo hall.
Scott Weese, a clinical studies professor at the University of Guelph (Canada) and colleagues reported in the July 2007 edition of Clinical Infectious Diseases that in a study of 36 petting zoos in Ontario between May and October of 2006, they observed infrequent hand washing, food sold and consumed near the animals, and children being allowed to drink bottles or suck on pacifiers in the petting area.
He observed similar failures yesterday.
So after 159 people, mainly children, were thought to be sickened with E. coli O157:H7 traced to a goat and a sheep at the 1999 Western Fair in London, Ontario, and eight years after all Canadian fairs were urged to adopt 46 recommendations to enhance petting zoo safety, many are still doing a lousy job.
Bill Marler has compiled a list of outbreaks related to petting zoos. We’ve previously reported at least 29 petting zoo related outbreaks in North America alone.
These petting zoo experiences raise questions: how best to motivate fair managers to provide petting zoos that are microbiologically safe? Should the urban public be allowed to interact with livestock at all? Should petting zoos be inspected, as restaurants are, and the results displayed?
If 64 sick kids is hysteria, conversation is useless and regulation required.
57 kids sick in UK from petting zoos; one owner says risk is overblown; lawsuits pending; problems in Vancouver and Ontario too
With 57 children sick with E. coli O157 linked to petting farms in the U.K., and 10 still in hospital, farm owners said they would oppose a ban on small children visiting the attractions, and one of the owners said the risk is being greatly overblown.
.jpg)
The U.K. government has rightly decided to ignore such statements and is preparing to upgrade E. coli O157 to a "notifiable disease" – on a par with infections like smallpox and measles – to speed up detecting outbreaks.
With a half-dozen foodborne illness outbreaks of E. coli and Salmonella throughout the U.K. being reported in the past week, yes, maybe they should be notifiable disease(s).
Maybe I’m losing something in translation.
Hugh Pennington, emeritus professor of bacteriology at the University of Aberdeen and Groundhog Day enthusiast has seen all this before.
Pennington told The Times E coli O157 was prevalent in cows, sheep and goats, with research showing about one in 10 cows carried the bug and 40% of herds. He called for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) guidelines on petting farms to be reviewed and a minimum age introduced.
.jpg)
“There will have to be a look at the guidelines to see if they need tightening and a review of whether they are being properly followed.”
This is the problem: there are plenty of guidelines out there to manage all sorts of risks, food-related or otherwise, but do people really do what they say they do? Or do they really think, it's no biggie.
In the wake of the outbreak, the U.K. has closed four such petting farms, either linked directly to the outbreak or, their standards sucked.
My friend Scott Weese, a veterinarian researcher at the University of Guelph and host of the Worms and Germs blog, wrote earlier today that:
Considering all of the outbreaks that have been attributed to petting zoos, including an outbreak in the UK this month that has sickened dozens and another in Vancouver has affected at least 13 people, you would think that people who operate petting zoos would start to get the clue. Unfortunately, that's clearly not the case.
My family and I went to the Fergus (Ontario) Fall Fair today. Apart from the petting zoos, it was a great day, but the potential for ending up in hospital with a life-threatening infection shouldn't have to be a concern for fair attendees.
This fair has two petting zoos. One is in association with a pony ride. We went there first and while my kids were looking at the animals, I noticed there was a table and a sign saying to use a hand sanitizer after touching the animals, but there were not actually any hand sanitizers present. I asked the attendant and he immediately started looking. They eventually found some but we gave up after waiting a few minutes and went to the other petting zoo location because a handwashing station was present there. Despite a large crowd around the first petting zoo, I didn't see anyone following our actions so presumably almost no one washed their hands after petting the animals. The good thing about this first petting zoo was they had a clean facility, appropriate animals and no major problems apart from the forgotten sanitizers.
.jpg)
Petting zoo number 2 was not as good. There were numerous problems, some of them very major.
* Inappropriate animals #1: As we walked in, someone held out a baby chick and tried to give it two my 2-yr-old daughter to handle. Standard guidelines are that children under 5 should not handle young poultry, so these animals are inappropriate for any petting zoo.
* Inappropriate animals #2: The next thing we passed was a young calf. Calves are also considered a high-risk animal and should not be present in petting zoos.
* Inappropriate animals #3: The calf had diarrhea (see the diarrhea staining and hair loss probably associated with prolonged diarrhea in picture). It's very likely that this calf was shedding one or more infectious agents in its diarrhea, such as Cryptosporidium.
* Food for sale: Food was being sold and consumed inside the tent where the petting zoo was. This is inappropriate.
Petting zoos can be great events for kids. They can also be sources of large and serious outbreaks.
Hopefully nothing bad will come from this and we won't hear reports of illness in petting zoo participants. But, as I've said before, hope is not a proper infection control program.
Anyone having a petting zoo must know the issues, risks and proper measures. Reading the Compendium of measures to prevent disease associated with animals in public settings would be a good start.
A leading personal injury lawyer, Jill Greenfield, a partner at Field Fisher Waterhouse in the U.K., told The Independent that she has received instruction from a family involved and expects a class action. In 2001, she represented Tom Dowling, who was awarded damages of £2.6m after he contracted E. coli as a four-year-old during a school trip to a north London farm in 1997, which resulted in his becoming quadriplegic and brain damaged. His was the third case of E. coli at the farm within a few months.
UK boy, 3, catches swine flu and E.coli; father disgusted kids' lives put at risk at petting zoo
Harry Dolby, three (right, photo from Telegraph) has become the latest victim of E.coli at a petting farm after being recetly hospitalised with swine flu.
He visited Godstone Farm with his mother Louise and friends on September 4, after the initial E. coli cases came to light.
Speaking from his bedside at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup, Kent, Harry's father, Lee Dolby, said he was ''disgusted'' at the failure of the farm and the HPA to act promptly.
Mr Dolby spoke of his anger at the actions taken over Godstone Farm.
''As soon as the first case came to light, the place should've been closed until it had been given the all-clear. 'These are kids' lives being put at risk here. I'm just disgusted at both the farm and the HPA, which is meant to be protecting us. Both are in the wrong for keeping the farm open. They realised it would be one of the last times for the kids to be able to visit and have a treat before the school holidays finished and they returned to classes."
The face of E. coli: Vancouver petting zoo edition
Although the Vancouver Coastal Health authority had identified a cluster of E. coli infections as early as last Thursday, no public health warning was issued, said spokeswoman Anna Marie D’Angelo.
All 13 cases that have presented so far are thought to be related to exposure to the the PNE petting zoo.
The Vancouver Sun reports that B.C.’s Medical Health Officer Dr. John Carsley, said,
“We were suspicious on Thursday when two cases were reported, then there were more on Friday. … “We wrestle very seriously with this issue of whether to do a public alert or not. It depends very much on the outbreak, and if there is a continued risk out there.”
The family of 14-month-old Jacklyn Simpson (above, right, photo from Vancouver Sun), who was stricken with the illness after visiting the petting zoo, believes that had they known about the outbreak, they might have been able to get help earlier.
That’s one of the reasons to issue public alerts – so additional illnesses can be prevented. E. coli O157 also spreads easily from person-to-person so public warnings may help reduce additional transmissions.
And it would be helpful if public health types would clearly articulate why they go public about foodborne illness outbreaks and when. Saying, "we wrestle with it,” does not enhance public confidence. Or prevent additional illnesses.
E. coli backlash as UK health type apologies for delay in closing farm
With 13 kids in hospital and 37 sick after visiting a UK farm, Health Protection Agency chief executive Justin McCracken has phoned parents of the children most seriously affected to apologise to them.
"If this information had been taken into account on 27 August, then the advice given and the steps taken on 3 September would have been introduced earlier and the farm might have been closed earlier.
.jpg)
"I wanted to speak personally to the parents of those children who are most seriously ill in hospital to explain what has happened and, however inadequate under the circumstances, to apologise.
"The position they find themselves in is unbearable and it is of course worse that what has happened might have been avoidable."
The farm was closed on Saturday - although the first E.coli case was reported on 27 August.
A pair of two-year-old twins, from Paddock Wood in Kent, have suffered acute kidney failure.
Initially, the HPA said the first case came to light on 27 August.
It later emerged that the agency had received a report of two cases in the previous week.
The face of E. coli: twins who visited the UK petting zoo edition; Vancouver fair remains delusional
Two-year-old twins Aaron and Todd Furnell went to visit the farm and in this picture, from the Mirror, lie motionless on their stomachs in adjacent hospital cots.
Todd underwent a second blood transfusion yesterday - the day a 13th child was hospitalised - after the brothers had suffered acute kidney failure.
Ms Mock said: "They're much the same, but now they are eating a little bit, rather than having it done for them through a feeding tube. When Aaron isn't asleep, he seems a bit more alert, but Todd is struggling a little."
Tracy Mock is among a group of parents calling on health officials to explain why they were able to visit Godstone Farm, Godstone, near Redhill, Surrey, after the first case of E.coli was brought to manager's attention there on August 27.
Ms Mock, from Kent, and her sons visited the farm four days later.
Four young children remained seriously ill in hospital last night following the outbreak on the popular petting farm.
Twenty four adults fell ill after visiting. Yesterday the Health Protection Agency (HPA), which faced calls for a public inquiry into its handling of the outbreak, confirmed there were a total of 37 cases of E.coli infection linked to the farm, including another child who had been recently diagnosed.
Another toddler, Alfie Weaver, was being monitored by doctors at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill, where he also had blood transfusions.
The little boy was left screaming in agony when his kidneys shut down following the outbreak. He was cared for in an isolation ward but is now understood to have begun talking.
His grandfather, from Redhill, who did not want to be named, said the three-year-old has since shown signs of improvement.
"It was like a dream come true, he has been in agony for nine days," he said.
The child and his six-year-old sister were taken to Godstone Farm on the August bank holiday – several days after the first case of E.coli was reported.
His mother, Gemma Weaver, said: "We deserve answers from the farm and the Health Protection Agency about this horrific bug. This farm should have been shut down earlier in August if kids tested positive for the bug then."
In Vancouver, where another dozen kids got sick from the petting zoo, the local paper can’t decide whether it was the food or the petting zoo.
Mark Neale writes in the Belfast Telegraph this morning that those who have investigated E. coli O157 "know the risk it poses on open or petting farms. A quick scan of the literature suggests one outbreak a year can be associated with open or petting farms. E.coli, particularly the virulent 0157 variant, has always been associated with farms and farm animals. Hand-washing, alcohol gels and all manners of materials used to remove the bacteria ultimately will prove useless."
More kids sick at petting zoo, this time in Vancouver; health type says no need to announce outbreak
Tragically following the mother country, the Pacific National Exhibition in Vancouver (that’s Canada) is reporting that 11 children and two adults came down with E. coli days after visiting the petting zoo at the PNE this summer.
.jpg)
The story triumphantly declares that it was the first time the PNE has been linked to cases of E. coli since the agricultural fair opened in 1910.
One child remained in hospital Tuesday in fair condition and two children have been sent home. The ages of the victims ranged from 21 months to 69 years.
Vancouver's PNE and its petting zoo with sheep, goats, horses and a donkey were open from Aug. 22 to Sept. 7.
Dr. John Carsley, a medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, said officials did not announce the outbreak of E. coli.
“An announcement would have been pointless. No one was at risk to be infected after the PNE closed and, if someone was exposed to the germ but has not yet fallen ill, there is nothing that could be done to prevent an outbreak of the illness. If you have nothing to offer people, what are you going to tell them?”
The majority of people who went into the barn and were exposed to the germs were at no risk, he also said. “So you are basically scaring an enormous amount of people and telling them, you might have been exposed to a potentially fatal illness about which you can do nothing.”
Tell them to be careful when going to petting zoos. Inform them of the risk. Try not to be a tool.
Petting zoo terrors: another UK child treated for E.coli; twins affected
Another child is being treated in hospital following an outbreak of E.coli at a farm in Surrey.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said there were now 13 youngsters being treated, of which four were seriously ill and six were in a stable condition.
Three are improving in hospital, with the total number of cases of E.coli 0157 linked to Godstone Farm now at 37.
The farm, near Redhill, was closed on Saturday - although the first E.coli case was reported on 27 August.
UK petting zoo E. coli O157 outbreak: 36 confirmed sick; 12 in hospital all under age of 10; four in serious condition; this won't turn out well
It’s like people in the U.K. had never heard of E. coli O157. Despite outbreak after outbreak – often involving children at nurseries -- public inquiries and a single food safety agency, the Brits just seem oblivious when it comes to dangerous pathogens that send kids to the hospital.
.jpg)
This morning, the London Times reported that
“Thousands of children across the South of England may be at risk from the E. coli bug in what looks to be the largest UK outbreak linked to transmission from farm animals."
Godstone Farm in Surrey, a popular family attraction where children are encouraged to stroke and touch animals, is closed while the Health Protection Agency (HPA) conducts tests to find out the cause of the outbreak which has left 12 children in hospital, four of them in a serious condition.
About 1,000 children, mainly from South London, Surrey, Kent and Sussex, visit the farm every day during the school holidays and at weekends. It is feared that 30,000 children could be at risk of infection.
.jpg)
It has emerged health officials knew about the outbreak among people who visited the farm days before it was closed to the public.
The Health Protection Agency became aware of the outbreak in late August after cases were traced to the farm.
One parent has expressed her anger, saying the decision for the farm to remain open was an "absolute disgrace".
But farm manager Richard Oatway said the farm had acted responsibly and was co-operating with the investigation.
(1).jpg)
Richard, please share with us your knowledge of natural reservoirs of E. coli O157, and the steps you’ve taken to control such dangerous pathogens from infecting children who visit your farm. Handwashing isn’t enough.
Safe Food Café - Petting zoos and their risk
I really hope they have proper handwashing stations
The Ontario Farm Animal Council and the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE) today announced that they are challenging members of the media to be farmers for a day.Ron Douglas, CNE Farm Superintendent and farmer, was quoted as saying,
"We are challenging the media to milk a cow, feed chickens, shear sheep and plant crops at this years’ CNE. We are also inviting them to bring their children along so that they can be one step closer to understanding what life on the farm is like in this day and age."
Great idea. But in addition to proper facilities, I really hope the organizers encourage and insist on proper sanitation and explain why. This from the U.S. CDC should help.
www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5605a1.htm
