St. Louis County health workers are investigating an outbreak of E. coli infections among people who attended an event sponsored by a Fenton high school.
At least 19 students and parents who attended an off-campus event sponsored by Rockwood Summit High School have gotten sick from the outbreak, county officials said.
“One thing I can say is it’s not a cafeteria-related event,” St. Louis County Health Director Kanika Cunningham said. “It was an off-site event, and we’re working with that particular entity and working with that location to identify the source.”
Health department officials say they’re still determining the cause of the infections and couldn’t give further details about where the event took place.
Environmental investigators from the department attempt to identify the cause of the infections by interviewing people who got sick and those who didn’t develop symptoms to track down the culprit, county officials said.
E. coli symptoms include cramps, diarrhea, vomiting and dehydration and usually begin a few days after exposure. Cunningham said the department has identified E. coli cases through laboratory tests and from people’s symptoms.
“My team has been working around the clock to contact individuals that attended the event,” she said. “And hospitals and local providers are aware as well.”
A Rockwood School District spokesman said the school has deep-cleaned bathrooms, classrooms and other common areas to contain the infection’s spread. The school has also notified those who went to the event and told them to be on the lookout for symptoms.
“We worked with the [health department] to notify all staff and families of students who attended the event of the suspected cases [and] what symptoms to look for, and if they were to experience symptoms, to contact their health care provider right away,” district spokesman David Morrison wrote.
School officials did not indicate when the event occurred but said the health department contacted the school regarding the outbreak on Wednesday.
“As an added precaution, we sent additional members of our facilities team to do a deep cleaning that evening at Rockwood Summit High that included spraying classrooms and common areas with special attention to disinfecting all bathrooms and doorknobs,” he wrote.
E. coli lives in the intestines of humans and animals. Most strains are harmless or even beneficial to digestion, but some can make people sick.
Last month, an E. coli infection tied to onions used in McDonald’s quarter pounder cheeseburgers sickened at least eight people in Missouri, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
