Two E. coli cases in Mahoning County linked to two-state outbreak
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Centers for Disease Control is trying to track down the food that investigators believe is the source of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened 29 people in Michigan and Ohio, including two here in the Valley.
The CDC reports that fourteen people in Ohio and fifteen people in Michigan have been infected with E. coli O157. There have been nine people hospitalized. No deaths have been linked to the outbreak.
The Ohio Department of Health gave 21 News the following county-by-county breakdown of cases in Ohio:
- Wood (5)
- Lucas (2)
- Mahoning (2)
- Clermont (1)
- Cuyahoga (1)
- Franklin (1)
- Lorain (1)
- Summit (1)
ODH says the affected individuals range in age from 11 to 72 years old. There are nine males and five females.
Four Ohioans have been hospitalized.
The true number of sick people in this outbreak is likely higher than the number reported by CDC.
Michigan and Ohio have both reported large increases in the number of E. coli infections. Public health officials are working to determine how many of these infections are linked to the outbreak.
In efforts to identify and confirm illnesses that are part of this outbreak, the CDC uses PulseNet, which manages a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses. DNA fingerprinting is performed on bacteria using a method called whole genome sequencing (WGS).
WGS from the illnesses in PulseNet showed that bacteria from sick people’s samples are closely related genetically. This suggests that people in this outbreak got sick from the same food.
Some of the illnesses reported in Michigan and Ohio have not yet been reported to the PulseNet system, but investigators are working on adding them to PulseNet to determine if they may be part of this outbreak.
The number of illnesses reported by the CDC is expected to increase.
State and local public health officials are interviewing people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick.
If a food item is identified, investigators say they will issue advice for people and businesses.
What You Should Do:
- Call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe E. coli symptoms.
- If you have symptoms of E. coli, help us solve this outbreak:
- Write down what you ate in the week before you got sick.
- Report your illness to your local or state health department.
- Answer public health officials’ questions about your illness.
- Follow these four food safety steps to prevent getting sick from E. coli: clean, separate, cook, and chill.
Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection vary for each person but often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting. Some people may have a fever, which usually is not very high (less than 101°F/38.5°C).
Most people get better within 5 to 7 days. Some infections are very mild, but others are severe or even life-threatening.
Most people with a STEC infection start feeling sick 3 to 4 days after eating or drinking something that contains the bacteria. However, illnesses can start anywhere from 1 to 10 days after exposure.
Contact your healthcare provider if you have severe symptoms of E. coli, such as diarrhea that lasts for more than 3 days or diarrhea that is accompanied by a fever higher than 102°F, bloody diarrhea, or so much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down and are not peeing much.
