Clark County Daycare E. coli Outbreak
Washington state health officials have temporarily shut down a Clark County daycare facility after four children in the setting were hospitalized with E. coli O157:H7 infections, including one who remains hospitalized.
The Clark County daycare E. coli outbreak includes two additional cases of illness and the state-licensed daycare center was closed April 2 to prevent more from getting sick. The Portland Oregonian newspaper reported the first details of the outbreak.
Dr. Alan Melnick, Clark County's public health officer, told the newspaper that there was concern of continued person-to-person spreading of the E. coli daycare strain.
He said the health department learned of the first hospitalization on March 19. Soon after, three other children required hospitalization. Melnick told the newspaper that stool samples from 22 children and four adult caregivers showed six carrying the O157:H7 strain but not showing symptoms.
Because symptoms can take up to 10 days to appear after exposure, the health department is checking each day with staff and families of the children and won't reopen the facility until there are no more signs of infection.
Melnick told the Oregonian that one of the infected children remains hospitalized. In five to 15 percent of E. coli infections, patients develop life-threatening E. coli HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome. Children are most susceptible to this.
HUS is the leading cause of kidney failure in children, but it also carries many other risks ranging from central nervous system damage to heart problems. Stroke, convulsions, coma, paralysis, brainstem injury are all possible in HUS cases.
Law firm Pritzker Olsen currently represents HUS E. coli victims from other outbreaks and has years of experience in E. coli litigation. Our firm is already starting its own investigation of this Clark County daycare E. coli outbreak. We are involved as a representative for victims in practically every major outbreak of foodborne illness in the United States.
To contact us for answers to legal questions about the Washington daycare E. coli outbreak, call 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this web page. An experienced E. coli lawyer will provide you with a free case consultation and answer any questions you may have.
