More E.coli dance cases probable

The E.coli O157 bug causes abdominal pain and diarrhoea

Health experts are investigating more probable and possible cases of E.coli O157 in people who attended a dance camp in Pembrokeshire.

A nine-year-old girl from Denbighshire and a 43-year-old woman from Essex are being treated as probable cases.

Tests have also been carried out on 11 other people who attended the event in Cresselly and have reported symptoms.

Dance Camp Wales was attended by people from across the UK and Europe. It ran between 29 July and 9 August.

A seven-year-old Denbighshire girl who was one of two confirmed cases last week has fully recovered while an 11-year-old West Midlands girl is recovering well in a Birmingham hospital.

Further tests show they have the same strain of the disease.

No further patients have been hospitalised.

Pembrokeshire Council said it had already made more than 200 phone calls and sent almost 300 emails to people known to have attended the camp, and is continuing to contact attendees.

The council said that because E.coli could be acquired from a wide range of sources, it was difficult to pinpoint the source of the infection.

Risk factors include direct or indirect contact with animals or their faeces, bathing in contaminated water, person to person transmission and infection from food.

The National Public Health Service for Wales (NPHS) said anyone who attended the dance camp and was experiencing symptoms that may be associated with E.coli O157 infection should contact their GP or out of hours service for medical advice as a matter of urgency.

The serious bacterial infection causes abdominal pain and diarrhoea and symptoms range from mild diarrhoea, stomach cramps and fever to bloody diarrhoea.

Most people recover without complications, but the most severe cases can develop kidney failure.

People who experience symptoms are asked to contact Pembrokeshire council's public protection department on 01437 764551 (0900 - 1200 BST on Saturdays and between 0800 - 1800 BST on weekdays) or e-mail [email protected].

E-mail this to a friend

Printable version