Two cases of E. coli reported in city; Patients recovered without hospitalization

10.jul.07
The Edmonton Journal (Alberta)

Spokesman Rob Stevenson was cited as saying Monday that Capital Health has seen two cases of E. coli bacterial infection that may be related to contaminated ground beef sold at Safeway and some independent stores.
On Saturday, a Capital Health spokeswoman told The Journal that no cases of E. coli infection related to the ground beef under recall had been reported in the Edmonton area.
"Both patients are doing fine at this point," Stevenson said. He said neither patient required hospitalization.
Capital Health will continue to monitor cases of E. coli infection related to the ground beef, Stevenson added.
Dr. Judy MacDonald, deputy medical officer of health with the Calgary Health Region, was cited as saying that three patients from Calgary all presented symptoms in early to mid-June, and special lab tests showed the E. coli strain each patient was infected with had the same "fingerprint."
MacDonald was further cited as saying that a review of the patients' individual food histories led to the strong possibility that ground beef had been the culprit, adding, "We look for any common things in food histories, sometimes it's not obvious. In these cases, the food histories generated a possible connection with ground beef."
The story says that both the Calgary Health Region and the Capital Health Region said they were not forewarned about the recall, which led to the initial miscommunication over the weekend. Betty Kellsey, a spokeswoman for Safeway, was cited as saying the company is still working with the CFIA to determine the exact source of the E. coli contamination.