School on e coli alert after pupil falls ill with bug

Parents given letter from NHS Tayside with information on bacteria

Parents of children at a Perth school were issued with an urgent public health warning yesterday after a pupil was found to have a confirmed case of E coli.

Craigie Primary School headteacher Lesley Gibson sent an urgent email to all parents yesterday afternoon to alert them to the outbreak.

The potentially lethal bug was diagnosed after the primary school pupil was off ill for a number of days with diarrhoea and other symptoms.

Mrs Gibson told the parents she had attached an “extremely important” letter from NHS Tayside and asked them to read it as a matter of urgency.

Dr Daniel Chandler, consultant in public health medicine, confirmed a single pupil had been found with E coli and issued a warning about the spread of the bug to other pupils.

Dr Chandler told parents: “The risk to your child of becoming infected is low, but as a precaution, I wish to provide you with some information about E coli and advice on what to do if you have any concerns.

“Symptoms of E coli infection include diarrhoea – sometimes with blood – fever, stomach pain/cramps, nausea and/or vomiting and generally feeling/ being unwell.

“It is important to be alert to the signs and symptoms of illness. If your child develops any symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting, or if you have concerns about their health, you should contact your GP, or call NHS 24 on 111 outside office hours.”

Parents were also supplied with an information leaflet about E coli, which can often be picked up during contact with farm animals.

They were also provided with details of an information website and given contact details for the duty health protection nurse specialist.

Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli (VTEC) infection is caused by a particular strain of the family of bacteria called Escherichia coli (E coli).

Some strains are harmless, but some produce toxins and can cause severe illness.

VTEC bacteria are commonly found in the bowels of cattle and other farm animals.

Infection can be caused by eating contaminated food, mainly meat, unpasteurised milk and cheese, or from contact with infected animals, such as at farms or zoos.

It can be passed by contact with other people who have the illness, through inadequate hand washing after using the toilet and/or before food handling.

It usually takes three to four days for symptoms to develop after swallowing the bacteria but sometimes can take up to a fortnight.

The headteacher of Craigie Primary School has emailed parents with information after a pupil contracted E coli.