An outbreak of infection caused by a rare but potentially fatal form of E.coli bacteria at a creche in Co Donegal is under control, according to the North Western Health Board.
Ten children were infected with the relatively new strain, E.coli 026 , which is closely related to E.coli 0157. This is the first outbreak of this kind in the Republic, although there have been 40 cases of E.coli 0157 so far this year.
The Food Safety Authority of Ireland yesterday commended the health authority's vigilance in detecting such a virulent and uncommon strain, but said the outbreak underlined an urgent need for laboratory facilities here to "type" definitively such bacteria. Early detection is crucial to controlling outbreaks quickly and to tracing their source.
The FSAI chief executive, Dr Patrick Wall, said it was not acceptable to wait weeks to confirm a strain if samples had to be sent to Colindale reference laboratory in London. Interim facilities to detect salmonella types have been set up in Galway but none exists for E.coli.
The health board insisted there was no cause for alarm as nobody was seriously ill. All 29 children at the creche, which has been closed, had been screened along with some family members. One child was admitted to hospital, but it had not been confirmed if that form of E.coli was the cause of illness.
The outbreak was detected on October 8th when a specimen from a child who became ill was sent for analysis to Letterkenny General Hospital. When staff found the child had contracted a rare form of E.coli, they immediately notified the health board.
"As soon as the infection was brought to the attention of the health board it was fully investigated," said Dr Ann Shannon, NWHB public health specialist.
A number of other children who were found to have diarrhoea were kept at home. "When some of them came up positive for E.coli 026 the screening was extended to all children," Dr Shannon said. "The children who were ill are getting better."
Dr Shannon said there was no special treatment for the infection. People who contract it are advised to drink plenty of fluids to prevent dehydration. This toxic strain of E.coli is not routinely screened for in the Republic, so staff at the hospital laboratory were "quite sharp" in identifying it.
Dr Wall of the FSAI said the strain had the potential to cause serious illness. Like E.coli 0157, it produced toxins which could cause kidney failure and death in anyone with a compromised immune system.
The source of the outbreak has not been identified. Usual sources are minced meat, especially burgers; unpasteurised milk, products made from unpasteurised milk; untreated water, raw vegetables or person-to-person contact. The creche will remain closed until it has been given clearance to reopen by the health board.