Twenty-four cases of E. coli have now been confirmed in the province following a recent outbreak that appears to be concentrated among Memorial University students.
Memorial University says the source of the contamination has not been identified and Eastern Health is working on identifying the cause.
While many of the cases are among MUN students, some of the reported cases are outside that community. Two new cases were confirmed over the weekend.
E. coli is spread primarily through contaminated food and water, although it can also be spread person-to-person.
Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, says it doesn’t take much of the bacteria to get sick and can be very serious for the very young, seniors or people with a compromised immune system.
Dr. Fitzgerald says the investigation is ongoing. They have Environmental Health Officers that work with Service NL and they will interview every person who presents either with a confirmed sample, or probable cases. They will get food histories for the period of time they think exposure happened.
Dr. Fitzgerald says to help prevent exposure to E. coli, cook meat thoroughly, wash your vegetables and leafy greens, use separate cutting boards for meats and veggies and use good hand washing practices.
