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715b43e | 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 | Division of Public Health Services Disease Handbook for Childcare Providers Bureau of Infectious Disease Control REVISED –January 2018 E. COLI 0157:H7 E. coli 0157:H7 is an intestinal illness caused by a bacterium that can cause severe bloody diarrhea, anemia, and –in some cases- kidney failure. Who gets this disease? Anyone is susceptible to this particular category of E. coli 0157:H7, but it most seriously affects young children and the elderly. How is it spread? This bacterium lives in a small number of healthy cattle. When the infected animal is slaughtered, the meat can become contaminated. The bacteria may also contaminate raw milk by being present on the cow’s udder. E. coli 0157:H7 is spread by eating contaminated food – most often undercooked beef, especially undercooked ground beef. Contaminated meat looks and smells normal. Drinking unpasteurized milk and swimming in or drinking sewage - contaminated water can also cause infection. An infected person having diarrhea can pass the bacteria from one person to another if hand-washing habits are not adequate. This is more likely to happen among toddlers who are not toilet trained. Young children usually continue to shed the bacteria in their stool a week or two following their illness. What are the symptoms? They vary from mild diarrhea to a bloody diarrhea with severe abdominal cramps and little or no fever. Vomiting may o ccur late in the illness. A small percent may develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a condition that destroys the red blood cells and causes kidney failure. This is more likely to occur in children under five years of age and the elderly, and may lead to death. How soon do symptoms appear? Symptoms appear 12 -72 hours after exposure with the average being 48 hours. Can a person have this disease without knowing it? Yes. The organism is identified through stool culture testing. Usually symptoms disa ppear in a few days but the bacteria can remain in the intestinal tract for several weeks. What is the treatment? Seek medical help for identification of the organism. Usually the person is treated for diarrhea dehydration with fluid replacement. How ca n the spread of this disease be prevented? 1. Wash hands thoroughly after diapering and using the bathroom. 2. Avoid eating undercooked beef, especially hamburger. 3. Avoid drinking from unknown water sources ,, raw milk, and unpasteurized apple juice. 4. Teach children good hand washing techniques Who should be excluded? Children who are infected with this bacterium will be excluded from childcare while they are symptomatic. Infected adults should be excluded from childcare centers, food handling, and direct care healthcare, until their stool cultures are free of E. coli 0157:H7 on two (2) consecutive specimens collected not less than 24 -hours apart. If antibiotics have been given, the initial cultures should be obtained at least 48-hours after the last dose. Reportable? Yes. E. coli 0157:H7 is reportable by New Hampshire law to the Division of Public Health Services, Bureau of Infectious Disease Control at (603) 271-4496. |