Boy recovering from illness sparked by E. coli bacteria

Sunday, June 6, 1999 | 2:41 a.m.

Doug Banghart of the Nevada Bureau of Disease Control and Intervention said the boy's illness was an isolated case and the cause is unknown.

"We do get sporadic cases. If we get multiple cases, we get a little more concerned," Banghart said. "In 1999 so far, we've only had two cases reported statewide."

The other case occurred in Washoe County in April.

The state agency was notified of the case by Carson-Tahoe Hospital, where the boy was taken with symptoms May 25. Hospitals are required by state law to notify the state of E. coli cases.

Usual symptoms include diarrhea, fever, cramping and headache. People can avoid problems with the potentially deadly bacteria by thoroughly cooking any ground meat and washing hands before eating, Banghart said.

archive