Two children in Salida, Colorado, were recently diagnosed with E. coli O157:H7 and at least three others have reported symptoms that could indicate the same illness, according to a newspaper report.
The Salida E. coli outbreak in mountainous south-central Colorado is being investigated by the Chaffee County Public Health Department and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
Officials told the Mountain Mail newspaper that a source for the infections has not yet been determined. One of the children diagnosed with the disease was hospitalized but has recovered.
E. coli O157:H7 is an organism that grows harmlessly in the guts of cattle, but when it is swallowed by humans it produces a powerful toxin that attacks red blood cells and can shut down a person’s kidneys or cause other damage to the heart, brain and other parts of the body. HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, is a violent complication of E. coli infection that can occur in people any age but is most common in children under 5 and the elderly.
If you or someone you know has contracted E. coli, call anE. coli lawyer at Pritzker Olsen Attorneys at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free). Our firm is one of America’s most-experienced groups of attorneys representing victims of food poisoning and we have collected tens of millions of dollars over the years for the victims of these outbreaks. For a free case consultation, please fill out one of our electronic forms on the web.
