State health officials are trying to find the source of an E. coli outbreak on Oahu that has sickened nine people and hospitalized four.
Since Feb. 19, eight local residents and one visitor have been affected by the same strain of E. coli. Six were children, the state Department of Health said.
"We are concerned," said Michele Nakata, program manager of the department’s Disease Investigation Branch. "Of the nine people, there were three that were diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome or HUS. That is a serious complication."
The strain, known as O157:H7, can cause severe abdominal cramps and diarrhea and may progress to bloody diarrhea and HUS, the Health Department said. HUS is a life-threatening symptom associated with kidney failure.
The nine who were ill have recovered or are improving.
State experts are struggling to find the source because there has been no common exposure history in any of the cases. In the past, people reported eating the same food, visiting the same restaurant or participating in the same activity, Nakata said.
Now the department is digging deeper by looking at the markets and restaurants visited by those who were sickened to see if those businesses had the same product source.
AVOID CONTAMINATION
>> Wash hands before cooking or eating.
>> Clean preparation surfaces and utensils.
>> Rinse fruits and vegetables.
>> Keep produce separate from meat, poultry, seafood and eggs.
>> Cook and store foods at appropriate temperatures.
>> Throw away foods of questionable quality.
State Department of Health |
Nakata said the state is awaiting test results that will determine if one more case is E. coli-related.
She said state officials also tapped federal labs to determine if the strain came from the same source.
E. coli is a large group of bacteria that are both useful and a nuisance to humans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some strains live in the intestines of humans and are part of a healthy digestive system.
In an advisory to physicians last week, when there were only six known cases, the Health Department said the strain of E. coli in question is passed by ingesting fecal matter, typically through contaminated food or water or direct contact with an infected person.
While E. coli infections occasionally occur in Hawaii, the last outbreak Nakata recalled involved seven cases, four traced to a restaurant on South King Street that had to be temporarily shut down in 2010.
She recommended people focus on safe food-handling practices to avoid contamination.
"Because we don’t know what the source is, it’s difficult for us to make more specific recommendations," she said.
