E. coli cases linked to Calgary daycares increases to 128

The number of kids coming down with E. coli in Calgary continues to rise, with some now facing serious symptoms impacting their kidneys and blood.

Lab-confirmed cases jumped to 128 as of Thursday afternoon, up from 96 on Wednesday and 40 on Tuesday.

In an update from Alberta Health Services (AHS), hospital admissions for those fighting the illness have also increased — jumping to 25 children in hospital Thursday from 22 on Wednesday. Seven were in hospital on Tuesday.

Twenty patients are at the Alberta Children’s Hospital, while five are at Peter Lougheed Hospital.

In addition, nine patients have been confirmed to have hemolytic uremic syndrome, which affects the kidneys and causes blood clots.

“They are stable and receiving the appropriate care in hospital,” said AHS spokesperson Kerry Williamson in an email to CityNews.

Also, three patients are receiving care outside Alberta connected to the outbreak.

A CityNews listener says his grandchildren attend one of the affected daycares, and while on holiday in B.C. this week, his four-year-old grandson became sick.

The family went from Salt Spring Island by ferry to a hospital in Victoria, where it was found that the child had E. coli.

Since then, the grandfather says things have taken a turn for the worse.

“They’ve started blood transfusions now,” he told CityNews Thursday, adding he’s been admitted to the intensive care unit due to deteriorating kidney function.

There’s no timeline for when his grandchild could be out of the hospital, the man said, leaving the family in limbo, and worried.

Read more: Concerns mount after E. coli outbreak at Calgary daycares

“They’re hanging in there. It’s stressful,” the grandparent said.

“I just think somebody should be held accountable for this.”

AHS Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Franceso Rizzuti, says a number of food samples — both leftover and frozen — have been collected from the kitchen and are now being tested in the lab.

However, it’s not clear whether those tests will yield answers.

“Typically, in situations like this, outbreaks like this, we may not find a food source. Our main focus thus far has been to prevent any more transmission or spread,” he said. “Alberta Health Services’ public health team is currently investigating the source of this outbreak, and at this time, we have not identified a source.”

Many parents with children impacted are sharing online that they believe meatloaf was to blame, as 11 daycares across Calgary and Okotoks use the same central kitchen.

They add that their kids first started feeling ill days after they ate the food.

The first reports of kids suffering from symptoms, such as bloody diarrhea, were reported last weekend, and many experts are not ruling out more cases in the days ahead.

AHS has launched a website with information for parents of kids attending these daycares to give them insight on what to do if their kids have any symptoms.

There isn’t a timeline for when any of the daycares will re-open.

“Alberta Children’s Hospital is well-equipped to handle this situation, and AHS is supporting the site with resources from elsewhere in the zone,” Williamson reads,

“As needed, additional inpatient beds are available at the Peter Lougheed Hospital and some patients are being looked after at that site.”