Scottish nursery forced to close after 28 E.coli cases reported

E.coli can lead to some dangerous symptoms

An outbreak of E.coli  has led to the closure of a nursery in East Lothian, Scotland. The BBC has reported that Pear Tree Nursery in Haddington has been linked with 28 cases of the pathogen, while the nursery’s Meadowpark location has also closed as a precaution after symptoms were reported.

Thankfully, the majority of the cases have been mild, with only a few children requiring hospital treatment. Edinburgh Live has reported that all affected remain in a stable condition.

The outbreak has so far been linked to those who have had close contact with the nursery and their close contacts, but NHS Lothian says testing is ongoing to determine the exact source of the outbreak.

“We know that this will be an anxious time for many of those who are directly affected by the infection. We have written to parents and carers of the children affected and to staff at the nursery to provide the most up to date information and ongoing health advice,” Dr Richard Othieno, chair of the incident management team and public health consultant for NHS Lothian, told the BBC.

“NHS Lothian has a robust surveillance system in place to identify E. coli cases which helped us to identify these cases early and put in place essential control measures to prevent further spread.

“This outbreak reinforces the importance of washing hands regularly, particularly before eating or preparing food, and after going to the toilet.”

“We continue to provide support to the nursery and those parents and carers who have been directly affected. We have encouraged parents to keep their children away from other children and those at higher risk until their negative results have been received”.

E.coli can cause problems in the body aside from just gastrointestinal issues, including urinary tract infections, cystitis and fever. NHS Lothian has advised parents to keep children with these symptoms away from other until a negative test for E.coli is confirmed.