A new report has detailed cockroaches being found in a Calgary kitchen that is at the centre of Alberta’s biggest E. coli outbreak in history.
The E. coli outbreak was declared on September 4 for six locations of the Fueling Brains daycare and five additional sites connected by the central kitchen after a dozen people landed in hospital.
Alberta Health Services (AHS) says as of Monday morning, there were 231 lab-confirmed cases connected to the outbreak, with 26 patients receiving care in hospital, 25 of them being children.
An inspection was ordered immediately after the kitchen was closed, and AHS found that cockroaches, improper food storage equipment, and a “sewer gas smell” were identified by public health inspectors the day after the kitchen closed.
The report added that a sewer gas smell was noted near the two-compartment sink in the food preparation area, and two live adult cockroaches were observed on the sides of stainless steel equipment around the dishwashing area.
The tin cat traps by the two separate two-compartment sinks had at least 20 cockroaches on the sticky pads each, per the report.
Minister of Health Adriana LaGrange and Minister of Children and Family Services Searle Turton were joined by Dr. Mark Joffe, chief medical officer of health, at a news conference held in Calgary Tuesday morning regarding the outbreak.
“It highlights there were some critical issues on the day of the inspection,” Joffe said of the kitchen, which was also inspected five times this year.
“It is certainly the largest E. coli outbreak in Alberta that I am aware of, and it is particularly serious because it has impacted young children,” said Dr. Mark Joffe.
“The source is very likely linked with the shared kitchen, but we do not know what in the kitchen caused it at this time,” LaGrange added.
Symptoms to watch for surrounding E. coli include diarrhea, which may be bloody, stomach pain, and vomiting. These symptoms often start between one to 10 days after eating food contaminated with E.coli.
Most people who contract E. coli will improve on their own without specific treatment, but there is a risk of developing more severe complications. Children, older adults, and immunocompromised people are more likely to experience complications.