4 people hospitalized, 100 others report symptoms, in E. coli oubreak at UA

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An outbreak of E. coli bacteria infections at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville has caused four people to be hospitalized, with about 100 others reporting symptoms in recent days, an official with the state Department of Health said Friday.

“Treatment is ongoing,” Dr. Naveen Patil, deputy state health officer and medical director of infectious diseases, said during a videoconference with reporters.

“This is a serious illness, so it should not be taken lightly, so that’s the whole reason they have been admitted to the hospital. The patients are quite sick.”

He said the cause of the outbreak is under investigation.

“E. coli outbreaks are very common. It’s usually restricted to just one case. We see that frequently in both Arkansas and in the United States. … But having so many cases in a short time is concerning,” Patil said.

An email from the university on Thursday night, labeled as an “Important Message From the Arkansas Department of Health,” said the university is “working closely with public health officials to help identify the source of the outbreak and provide guidance to help prevent additional infections.”

“At this time, based on what we know about the onset of symptoms, we believe the outbreak started more than a week ago.”

The email described the outbreak as being caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website, that type of E. Coli is “the one most commonly heard about in the news in association with foodborne outbreaks.”

Most people recover without treatment after five to seven days, the UA email says.

“At this point, our primary concerns are caring for those who have already been impacted and preventing further spread as the bacteria is transmissible,” the email says.

“While surface cleaning and sanitizing protocols are in place at the university, we encourage practicing proper hygiene, especially good handwashing, at all times, on and off campus.”

According to the CDC website, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli is spread when people swallow tiny amounts of human or animal feces.

“Unfortunately, this happens more often than we would like to think about,” the website says.

“Exposures that result in illness include consumption of contaminated food, consumption of unpasteurized (raw) milk, consumption of water that has not been disinfected, contact with cattle or contact with the feces of infected people.”

Symptoms often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and nausea, according to the CDC website.

“Hopefully we’ll have the answers in the next few days, but what I would like to advise people is to make sure that if you are using food products it’s properly washed and if you’re eating meat it’s properly cooked, and make sure you wash your hands before you eat food,” Patil said.

He said “95% of the people” who are infected fully recover, but in severe cases an infection that is not properly monitored can lead to dehydration and kidney failure.

“They might have nausea, abdominal pain, fever, you know, those kinds of things, but the problem arises when people start having severe symptoms,” Patil said.

Ly is a Report for America Corps member.