September 4, 2023
CALGARY – An E. coli outbreak has been declared for six locations of a Calgary daycare and five additional sites that share a central kitchen.
At this time, 17 lab-confirmed cases have been linked to the outbreak, as well as 12 individuals hospitalized, and up to 50 children presenting to hospital.
The following sites, all located in Calgary, have been issued a closure order until issues are resolved:
As well as:
Families with children attending any of the above locations are being sent letters advising of the outbreak and are being asked to monitor for symptoms and present to an emergency department if necessary.
The predominant symptom associated with E. coli is diarrhea, which may be bloody. Symptoms usually start one to 10 days after eating food contaminated with the E. coli bacteria.
If you are concerned or start to develop symptoms, please call 8-1-1. If children develop severe symptoms (e.g. bloody diarrhea), please visit an urgent care care clinic, an emergency department, or your family physician as soon as possible. It’s important that you mention your possible exposure to E. coli.
The majority of individuals who get sick from E. coli generally improve on their own and without specific treatment within 10 days, but a proportion may develop more severe complications. Antibiotics are not necessary or helpful for this infection.
Children, the elderly and the immunocompromised are at greater risk of complications from this strain of E. coli. AHS will continue to update the public with information as it becomes available.
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Our mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans. Our current focus is on reducing emergency department wait-times, improving EMS response times, increasing access to surgeries, and improving patient flow.
