By Jory Lange
The County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency announced today that a fifth child developed E coli after visiting the San Diego County Fair. Like the earlier cases, animals may have been the source of this child’s E coli infection. Five children have developed E coli infections after coming into contact with animals at the San Diego County Fair. One child has died. Public health agencies are investigating a possible San Diego County Fair E coli outbreak.
“As we continue our investigation, more cases are likely to be reported,” said Wilma J. Wooten, M.D., M.P.H, County public health officer. “This is typical of any public health investigation. Since we asked doctors to be on the lookout for STEC, they are more likely to test patients exhibiting symptoms.”
The County of San Diego Health and Human Services (HHSA) is urging anyone who visited the San Diego County Fair and then began experiencing symptoms of E. coli infection on or after June 8 to contact their healthcare provider⎯“especially if you have diarrhea that lasts for more than 3 days or diarrhea that is accompanied by a fever higher than 102°F, or blood in the stool, or so much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down and you pass very little urine.”
