Fletch Daycare E. coli Outbreak Results in Death to 4-year-old Boy
A daycare E. coli outbreak at the Vancouver, Washington, home of Dianne and Larry Fletch has claimed the life of a 4-year-old boy who was first hospitalized March 19.
The tragic death was confirmed by Elizabeth Winter of the Washington State Department of Early Learning and Dr. Alan Melnick, health officer for Clark County.
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Larry Fletch, who reportedly has operated the in-home daycare since 1990 with no valid complaints on file, was interviewed by KGW-TV:
"It really is so horrible,'' he said. "We knew the child since before he was born. We’ve been trying to help the family. It’s just so horrible. We were close to the child. We’re close to all of our children."
Public health officials in Clark County closed the daycare April 2 after four children were hospitalized with matching strains of E. coli O157:H7. Others involved in the daycare later tested positive for E. coli but had not yet exhibited symptoms.
The cause of the Vancouver daycare E. coli outbreak has not been determined, but the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stated that daycare centers are the most likely settings for person-to-person outbreaks of E. coli O157:H7. In such cases, the pathogen is spread through fecal-oral contact.
The threat of these outbreaks is why public health officials have stressed the importance of strict hand-washing hygiene. In outbreaks of E. coli, five to 15 percent of people infected by the organism develop life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome, HUS. Of all age groups, young children are the most susceptible to contracting HUS, which typically involves kidney failure.
But E. coli HUS is much more than that, often damaging other organs and a person's central nervous system.
National food safety law firm Pritzker Olsen is investigating the Fletch daycare E. coli outbreak and is accepting cases from affected families. Our firm gets involved in practically every major outbreak of E. coli and other foodborne illnesses.
For a free case consultation or to ask legal questions of an E. coli lawyer who has handled many HUS cases, call our firm at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.
