With over 650,000 attendees, the National Western Stock Show (NWSS) held annually in Denver, Colorado, is one of the largest such events in the world.
Unfortunately, the 2009 stock show was associated with an outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 in which there were 29 confirmed cases including two cases of Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). A confirmed case was considered one in which the victim became ill on or after January 10, 2009; had a laboratory finding of E. coli O157:H7 in the person’s stool; and the genetic fingerprint of the E. coli O157:H7 found in the stool sample matched the outbreak strain.
The outbreak was detected after local and state officials in Colorado noticed an increase in E. coli O157:H7 cases and observed that the patients shared a common exposure point – the NWSSE. coli outbreak. Later testing at the event revealed the identical strain of E. coli O157:H7 in four specimens taken from the floor on which animals stood in the “Feed the Animals” area of the show. Preliminary findings of the NWSS outbreak investigation are now public.
E. coli O157:H7 at petting zoos is a well known and preventable danger. In 2005, the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians issued a document entitled “Compendium of Measures to Prevent Disease Associated with Animals in Public Setting” that was endorsed by a number of organizations including the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
It appears that National Western Stock Show officials failed to follow a number of these measures thus resulting in this significant E. coli O157:H7 outbreak.
To learn more about this outbreak, visit us on the web, call us toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or email the firm’s president, Fred Pritzker, at fhp@pritzkerlaw.com
Our firm also offers free case consultations via the web if you complete one of our consultation forms.
