UK-News Wales-E. coli victims need isolating

A new study into the 2005 South Wales E. coli outbreak suggests that isolating children with the infection may cut by half further spread within the household.

Large community foodborne outbreaks of E. coli O157 have been recorded in many countries including Wales, says the National Public Health Service for Wales.

An outbreak of E. coli O157 occurred in September/October 2005 with cases recorded in 44 different schools in the South Wales valleys. In total 157 people, mainly children, fell ill and a five-year old child died. The source of the outbreak was identified as cooked meat supplied to the school meals service by butcher John Tudor and Son.

Once a person has contracted an E. coli infection, it is relatively common for the infection to be transmitted to a close associate, such as a family member. A new analysis of the 2005 South Wales outbreak, based on records collected at the time by Environmental Health Officers, was undertaken by epidemiologists at the National Public Health Service (NPHS) Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre (CDSC).

This analysis finds that person-to-person transmission was responsible for 5-8% of infections and that half of these cases could potentially have been prevented if the first case could have been taken out of the home, say by admission to hospital, or in some way isolated. The study is being published in the April 15 issue of the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases…more..