Alberta Health Services (AHS) announced on Tuesday that the E. coli outbreak, which affected numerous children at various daycares in Calgary and was declared in September, has now ended.
AHS has announced that a total of 11 sites, comprising six daycare branches and five additional locations with a shared central kitchen, have been declared free of outbreaks.
The outbreak left 38 kids and one adult hospitalized. Doctors diagnosed 23 patients with severe illness or hemolytic uremic syndrome while eight received peritoneal dialysis.
According to AHS, there were no deaths reported and all the patients have been released from the hospital. A total of 1,581 children, who were associated with the outbreak, have been given permission by doctors to go back to daycare.
The central kitchen remains closed.
At present, AHS continues to observe a small number of patients who still have positive E. coli test results. These individuals must obtain a clearance letter from AHS before they can return to work or go back to a daycare facility.
The central kitchen that was linked to the outbreak is still closed. Alberta Health Services (AHS) stated that currently, the conditions necessary for lifting the closure have not been fulfilled.
“To reopen the kitchen, AHS must lift the closure order, which involves several steps including the submission and approval of a food safety plan by AHS.”
The statement acknowledged that although the outbreak has ended, there is still a significant amount of work to be completed. This includes offering assistance to those who were affected by the outbreak and are still dealing with E. coli-positive reports.
Source: cbc.ca
