Colorado E. Coli Outbreak Still Growing
Denver Public Health has recorded another seven E. coli O157:H7 infections in Colorado, bringing the number of cases there to 27 in an ongoing outbreak.
Spokeswoman Dee Martinez told the Denver Post that the health agency's investigation is continuing. When the first 20 matching strains of E. coli O157:H7 were reported to the public on Feb. 6, Dr. Chris Urbina of Denver Public Health said the working hypothesis was that the cause could be related to the National Western Stock Show in Denver.
He said then that tests he hoped would help pinpoint the cause would likely be ready within a week, but no test results have been reported. Of the first 20 cases, 16 were children who had been to the 15-day livestock extravaganza.
In press release issued by PritzkerOlsen, attorney Fred Pritzker had this to say about the outbreak's association with the National Western Stock Show:
This outbreak should not have happened and could have been prevented. When stock shows encourage or permit public contact with animals, there is a well known risk of E. coli O157:H7 infection and equally well known measures that should be in place to prevent such infections.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. (NASPHV) published a compendium of such infection prevention measures almost four years ago.
Although the matter is still under investigation, it seems likely that rules of this sort were not implemented or followed.
