Alberta Health Services declares E. coli outbreak over at central Alberta daycare

A microbiologist points out an isolated E. coli growth from a patient specimen at the Washington State Dept. of Health, in Shoreline, Wash., Tuesday, Nov. 3, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Elaine Thompson

Alberta Health Services says an E. coli outbreak at a daycare in Blackfalds has ended.

Several children and staff got sick in late August at an Aspen Lakes Discovery Center location in the central Alberta town, and the health agency ordered it closed.

The illness was confirmed to be Shiga Toxin-producing E. Coli, which can cause serious complications in some people.

The health agency says there have been no new cases confirmed since Sept. 7 and the daycare was cleared to reopen Sept. 10.

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Sixteen cases of E. Coli were confirmed over the course of the outbreak, and an investigation found it was likely from person-to-person transmission rather than contaminated food.

Just over a year ago, an E. coli outbreak hit several Calgary daycares that were served meat loaf out of a central kitchen operated by Fueling Minds, leading to hundreds of infections.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 20, 2024.