E. Coli outbreak in N.S., N.B.
Posted Jan 4, 2013 07:08:53 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
An E. Coli outbreak has health officials in two Maritime provinces scrambling to identify the source of the deadly bacteria.
Two people have been hospitalized with symptoms of the gastro-intestinal illness in Nova Scotia, with another five people have visited the emergency room. New Brunswick is reporting one person in hospital, with another four people ill.
Health officials in both provinces have yet to determine if the infections stem from a common source. Authorities are checking food products that travel between the provinces.
They are hoping the contamination may be linked to a food with a short shelf life as people began feeling sick between Dec. 23 and Dec. 26 and there have been no new cases since then.
Symptoms of the gastro-intestinal illness include severe cramps, bloody diarrhea and vomiting.
To prevent the infection from spreading, health officials are urging people to wash their hands thoroughly after using the washroom or changing diapers.
Other precautions include washing and peeling raw vegetables and fruits, thoroughly cooking all meats and preventing contact between cooked foods and raw poultry and other meats.
