E. coli outbreak at daycare appears under control
Posted Oct 7, 2011 04:01:05 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A senior health official says a Dartmouth daycare that’s been dealing with an E. coli outbreak among kids is doing everything it should be.
The last confirmed case at the Crystal Day Nursery was last week, after the first case in August.
“The daycare has been incredibly cooperative in all of this,” said the region’s Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Gaynor Watson-Creed.
She says we all have E. coli in our stools, but this strain, E. coli 0157, produces a toxin that can hurt the body, especially the kidneys, and it can be picked up in several places.
“From raw meat, yes, but it can also be picked pets,” said Dr. Watson-Creed. “It can be picked up from petting zoos, it can be picked up from sand on the beach.”
In this investigation, the original source is not a big concern. It’s about making sure the kids with bad diarrhea get screened, treated, and come up clean before returning to daycare, to stop the spread. But it can take kids up to three weeks to clear the bug from their system.
