Niagra-On-The-Lake, NY Ecoli , Little Red Rooster

Sunday, October 26, 2008
Public health searching for cause of E. coli cases

Public health searching for cause of E. coli cases
Two confirmed cases, three more suspected in Niagara
Posted By JOHN ROBBINS / Review Staff Writer
Updated 45 mins ago


Public health officials are trying to pinpoint the source of a food-borne E. coli outbreak in Niagara.

So far, there are two confirmed and three suspected cases of the potentially serious infection.

Four of the five cases have been linked to food consumed at the Little Red Rooster, a Niagara-on-the-Lake eatery. The restaurant, which is located at 271 Mary St., was voluntarily closed by its owners on Friday.

Dr. Robin Williams, Niagara Region's medical officer of health issued a public advisory Saturday, appealing for anyone with symptoms of E. coli poisoning – such as bloody diarrhea and severe abdominal pain – to come forward in hopes that new information will assist in determining the source.

The nature of incident has prompted public health to broaden its search, including the investigation of other food establishments and distributors, said Glen Hudgin, manager of environmental health.

“The process basically is to find out from the persons who have been ill what their food history is for the last number of days," Hudgin told The Niagara Falls Review, Sunday. "That means that we have in fact gone out to a number of different food premises within the region to look at those facilities and to collect food samples from the items those people would have had in their meals.”