September 20, 2024
Enhanced screening continues
RED DEER – Effective Sept. 20, 2024, Alberta Health Services (AHS) has lifted the Shiga Toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreak associated with the Aspen Lakes Discovery Center east location in Blackfalds. Lifting the outbreak order comes following no new cases of E.coli illness being confirmed since Sept. 7.
AHS declared a gastrointestinal illness outbreak for this facility on Aug. 23, following confirmation of one STEC case and multiple childcare staff and attendees having diarrheal illness. The daycare was ordered closed at that same time. The confirmation of additional STEC cases led to the declaration of a STEC outbreak on Aug. 26, accompanied by an investigation into the source of the E.coli infections and the spread of illness.
The facility was approved to reopen on Sept. 10, after meeting all requirements as outlined by AHS Public Health. AHS is confident that the risk of illness is low, as the facility continues to meet all reopening requirements and enhanced screening practices.
During the course of the outbreak, 16 cases of E.coli were confirmed. Investigation determined that the outbreak most likely resulted from person-to person transmission rather than from a food item served by the daycare. How the STEC was first introduced into the daycare could not be determined.
With the outbreak lifted, staff and children from this facility who newly develop gastrointestinal symptoms will not be required to be tested for STEC.
As always, staff or children who are ill should not attend childcare facilities, and those with gastrointestinal symptoms should not return to any childcare facility until their symptoms have been resolved for 48 hours. Failure to do so can contribute to spread of the illness. Staff and families are encouraged to continue to watch for E.coli or other illness symptoms as part of a vigilant approach to reducing the chances of spread.
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.
