ALBANY, NY, Sep 10 (Reuters) -- The number of people in New York infected by a potentially deadly strain of E. coli bacteria continued to rise Thursday, as health officials battled one of the worst recorded outbreaks of the disease in the United States.
State health officials said that there have been 497 unconfirmed cases of the E. coli O157:H7 infection, up from 159 cases Tuesday. So far 51 people have been hospitalized due to the E. coli infection, including 10 children listed in serious condition.
A 3-year-old girl died from the epidemic, believed to have started at the Washington County Fair in Greenwich, New York, on August 28-29. Her younger sister is in serious condition and is receiving kidney dialysis treatment along with the other nine children, all of whom have hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication of the infection, the New York State Health Department said.
''What I want... is for people not to panic,'' New York State Health Commissioner Antonia Novello said at a news conference after she and other health officials examined the fairgrounds. She said that state health officials were working with dozens of health agencies in New York and in Vermont and Massachusetts, as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Officials suspect that people affected might have caught the bacteria from drinking well water at the fairgrounds contaminated by runoff from a nearby dairy barn. Investigators are still testing the well water, looking for a direct link between the victims and the contaminated water, and Novello said that they might have an answer in 3 to 5 days.
Health officials urged parents in the area to keep their children home if they have any symptoms of E. coli infection, including diarrhea and abdominal pain. The officials also warned people who attended the fair but have no symptoms to call their physicians and to stay away from overworked emergency rooms. |
