By Cheap Pharmacies
Illinois E. coli cases climb
September 14, 1999
NEW YORK, Sep 14 (Reuters Health) -- The number of people reporting symptoms of E. coli infection following an outbreak in Illinois has reached 281, according to state health officials. usamedsonline.com
A spokesperson for the Illinois Department of Public Health told Reuters Health that, as of Monday afternoon, there were 281 suspected cases, 27 confirmed cases, and 20 people hospitalized, as a result of the outbreak. There have been as yet no deaths reported from this outbreak, which was traced to a private party held on September 4 for approximately 1,800 people. The gathering took place in a cow pasture near Petersburg, Illinois.
The department spokesperson said that 551 of the party-goers have been contacted for interviews. According to Illinois officials, party attendees came from 15 counties within Illinois, as well as Florida, Hawaii, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri and Ohio.
Meanwhile, the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in upstate New York claimed a second life on Friday, as a 79-year-old man died at Albany Stratton Veterans Administration Medical Center, according to a Reuters report. His death followed that of a 3-year-old girl.
New York State health officials have traced the outbreak to a well at the Washington County Fairgrounds in Greenwich, New York. On Friday, health officials said that the number of cases had risen to 611 and that the number could rise to 1,000 over the course of this week. There have been 85 confirmed cases.
New York health officials added that people who attended a second fair in New York State, the Schaghticoke Fair in Rensselaer County, might have been exposed to E. coli O157:H7 through water brought from the earlier fair to be used for drinking and cleaning.