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Officials in Iowa Warn Against Drinking Raw Cider

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

Health officials in Iowa are hinting that consumption of unpasteurized apple cider may be associated with at least one of five recently confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 in the southeast part of the state

Patricia Quinlisk, medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, told The Hawk Eye newspaper in Burlington that authorities won't release the source of a communicable disease unless it poses an immediate health risk to the public.

Quinlisk said the department has made recommendations in the "last several weeks'' to prevent further cases of E. coli. The department's latest recommendation, issued Tuesday, said raw apple cider should not be served to children under 8 years old, the elderly or people who have weakened immune systems..

"Cider and other unpasteurized juices have been linked with outbreaks of disease,'' the department's news release said.

The Hawk Eye reported Wednesday that two children hospitalized at University of Iowa Children's Hospital have been battling hemolytic uremic syndrome, a complication of E. coli O157:H7, for more than two weeks. Both children have reportedly undergone kidney dialysis, surgeries, blood transfusions and other procedures.

Pediatric nephrologist Patrick Brophy, the doctor for both children, told the newspaper that the 5-year-old boy, "as well as a couple other kids,'' probably drank apple cider that contained E. coli.

 Three of the confirmed cases came from Lee County while two others were in Des Moines County, officials have said. A sixth case of E. coli infection was confirmed by health officials last week in Hancock County, Ill., across the state line.

There has been no announcement that the cases are releated and no health officials in either state has identified a specific source of bacteria.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on October 30, 2008 (boomark / email).