Kane County looking for salmonella source
ILLINOIS - The task often proves futile, but Kane County officials have vowed to work diligently in their quest to pinpoint the source of a recent salmonella outbreak -- one that nearly quadrupled in 2006 from an average year.
9 February 2007
2 minute read
In Kane County alone, 15 laboratory-confirmed salmonella cases with the same strain of bacteria were reported to the Health Department last year, compared to four on average.
Health department officials are working to create awareness of this specific form of salmonella. They're also attempting to identify the cause, but it proves very difficult, given the cases have been widespread -- eight were reported in Aurora and seven more in the Elgin/Carpentersville area.
Of the 15 cases, six were reported to the health department in December.
"We're seeing it at both ends of the county," said Claire Dobbins, the county's director of preparedness and communicable disease control. "If we create awareness, our mission becomes twofold: we could possibly prevent future infection by taking proper food-safety precautions and, if someone seeks medical attention, it might help us locate the source.
"It's really a big puzzle."
Source: The Herald News
