Infection
Alberta’s premier to join health minister, health officials for E. coli outbreak update
Sep
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health said though the E. coli outbreak linked to several Calgary daycares remains serious, there is a decrease in patients requiring care in hospital.
The government also announced a one-time payment to affected families of $2,000 per child. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said information on how to apply for this funding will be available soon
At a press conference Friday, Dr. Mark Joffe said there are now 337 confirmed cases of E. coli, with 12 patients receiving care in hospital, a decrease of eight in the last two days.
Ten patients have been diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a kidney- and blood-related severe complication, and six are receiving dialysis at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Calgary, Joffe said.
There have been 26 cases of secondary transmission.
Joffe said there has been one case of E. coli in a child in Calgary who did not attend one of the daycares linked to the shared kitchen identified as the likely source of the outbreak.
However, he explained that a small amount of children get infected with E. coli every week and this case could be unrelated, but it is still being investigated.
The kitchen related to the outbreak is remaining closed indefinitely, Joffe said.
The press conference comes 11 days after an E. coli outbreak was declared in Calgary daycares and a day after parents and families affected by the outbreak sent an open letter to Premier Danielle Smith asking, “What are you going to do to protect our most vulnerable citizens and support their families?”
Friday’s update will be the first time the premier will speak publicly about one of the largest E. coli outbreaks in the country’s history.
Smith had previously expressed her “thoughts and prayers” for families affected by the outbreak, and asked for an “assessment” of the outbreak from LaGrange and Turton to prevent a repeat.
Alberta Health Services declared an outbreak on Sept. 4.
In their open letter earlier this week, the parents said they wanted to know why the premier has not commented publicly. They also expressed disappointment about a prior update from the health minister, minister of child and family services, and health officials.
“The recent press conference revealed nothing to regain our trust in the government’s ability to respond adequately to this situation,” the letter read.
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