Alberta's chief medical health officer, Dr. Mark Joffe, says health inspectors found three critical health violations in the central kitchen used by several daycares linked to an E. coli outbreak that has infected more 200 people. A microbiologist points out an isolated E. coli growth on an agar plate from a patient specimen at the Washington State Dept. of Health Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015, in Shoreline, Wash. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Elaine Thompson
CALGARY – Alberta’s chief medical officer of health says there three critical violations were found at a central kitchen serving Calgary daycares affected by an E. coli outbreak.
More than 200 people have fallen ill from the bacteria since the outbreak at 11 daycares was declared a week ago.
Dr. Mark Joffe says the kitchen was closed immediately on Sept. 4 and that likely prevented the outbreak from being much worse.
He says the violations, found the following day, related to food handling, sanitation and pest control.
Alberta Health Services said as of Monday afternoon there were 231 lab-confirmed cases.
Twenty-five children and one adult were receiving care in hospital, with 21 severely ill.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on Sept. 12, 2023.
