A salmonella infection in 16 nurseries and primary schools in Szekesfehervar, central Hungary, has made 181 children ill, a local health authority official told MTI on Tuesday.
The infection was first reported on September 8 and developed sporadically rather than suddenly, said Gyongyi Lencses. "The curve is now on the down-slope," she added.
The affected institutions were all served by the same central kitchen. Three of the kitchen staff tested positively for the bacterium.
An open-air nursery, or forest kindergarten, sounds sorta cool (in German, Waldkindergarten), where the kids spend their days in the woods instead of a building with walls.
But poop could be a problem.
The Secret Garden Outdoor Nursery in Fife, Scotland, which operates in a woodland setting, had been ordered to use soap and water instead of wipes if staff and children visited a farm or walked across a field containing livestock.
The Scotsman reports the nursery argued that carrying up to ten litres of water into Letham Woods where the children play and learn was impractical and that the threat of catching E coli was being exaggerated.
Last night Cathy Bache, the nursery’s founder, welcomed the victory over what she described as Health Protection Scotland’s (HPS) "very unworkable" hand-washing policy, adding,
"It’s fantastic. We can now continue to operate as a nomadic nursery on our woodland site. If we’d had hand-washing imposed on us it would have made things a lot more difficult."
The potential hygiene issue came to light in July last year after concerns about handwashing were raised at an inspection by the Care Commission which regulates Scotland’s nurseries. The nursery complied with a request to use soap and water before reverting to wipes and gels last December.
A spokesman for the Care Commission, said: "The Secret Garden will now follow a ten-step programme of measures with regard to hand hygiene. The practice and procedures should also be approved by the individual parents of all children attending.
"However, we remain clear that children at the Secret Garden should wash their hands with soap and water whenever possible to maintain good infection prevention."
That’s because sanitizers do not work in the presence of organic material – dirt in a forest – and are ineffective against a number of viruses.
Seven children in County Armagh, who all attend Holly House nursery in Lurgan, have been infected with E. coli O157, the Public Health Agency has confirmed.
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A mother whose child is at the nursery said,
"It is very worrying because of the seriousness of E. coli. But as far as I know none of the children seems to be very ill. I could not fault the nursery. They are managing very well and have provided lots of information and support."
"Locally, it is a surprise that an outbreak of E. coli has taken place," said SDLP councillor for the area, Mary McAlinden.
I don’t know what it is with British kiddie nurseries and E. coli O157, but there’s another outbreak.
Two children who attend a North Lanarkshire nursery are being treated for E. coli O157.
Both children attend the Step by Step Nursery in Cumbernauld and are said to be recovering at home.
The first child was diagnosed on 26 July and the second child was diagnosed on 2 August.
Your Local Guardian reports that 13 people from Feltham Hill Infant and Nursery School, in Bedfont Road, Feltham, have been confirmed to have E. 
coli O157, along with one pupil from nearby Feltham Hill Junior School.
Environmental health officers completed a “deep clean” of the site to eliminate traces of infection and only children who have had the all-clear from the Health Protection Agency are being allowed back into class.
Books, toys, plants and equipment were thrown out as part of the clean-up.
Seven more people have been diagnosed with E coli following an outbreak at a primary school – while staff prepare to re-open for classes next week.
Eleven people from Feltham Hill Infant and Nursery School, in Bedfont Road, Feltham, have been confirmed with the bug – along with one pupil from the nearby Feltham Hill Junior School.
Parents criticised the Health Protection Agency (HPA) for not closing the junior school – which is on the same site – after it shut the infant school on February 3.
A spokeswoman for the HPA said: “This junior school pupil was excluded from school on February 3 when a sibling had symptoms. There is no case of onward transmission at the school.”
Parents were asked to destroy any exercise books that have been at home since January, and throw away all water bottles and book bags.
I don’t know what it is with baby nurseries and what I guess Americans would call daycare for the older kids in the U.K., but there are way too many outbreaks of E. coli O157.
The Hounslow Chronicle reports that as many as 25 pupils at Feltham Hill Infant & Nursery School are believed to have been infected by the E. coli bug.
A spokeswoman for the Health Protection Agency today said there were now five confirmed cases of the O157 strain, with another seven presumed positive and 13 ‘symptomatic’ cases, which are still being investigated. She could not confirm whether everyone who had been infected was a pupil at the school in Bedfont Road.
Today, it was reported that a second nursery in Feltham has closed following a suspected outbreak of E. coli.
Once Upon a Time Nursery, in Ashford Road, closed on Friday after 11 children suffered diarrhoea and vomiting, which are symptoms of the infection.
A spokeswoman for the HPA said it was too early to say whether the infection is related to the E. coli outbreak or is an outbreak of norovirus, which has similar symptoms and is common at this time of the year.
Amy and I are fortunate we get to spend most of our time with baby Sorenne. Both of us do most of our work at home, Katie’s been a great help, and we have a student babysitter come to the house twice a week for a total of five hours.
If we were in a different situation and had to use a day care, I’d be there checking out the food safety. The Cannock House Day Nursery, Chelsfield, U.K., would be an excellent model of how not to do things.
In March 2007, the nursery was closed after 147 people contracted salmonella, including 139 children. Yesterday, a court was told salmonella was found on a chopping board and three mixing bowls in the kitchen at the premises.
Prosecutor Rob Sowersby said the cleanliness of the kitchen was found to be poor and cleaning facilities were too small, being appropriate for a home rather than a business.
Mr Sowersby said there were insufficient procedures relating to washing hands, changing nappies and organising cleaning.
Mr Sowersby added there was no toilet paper in the toilets and that children were handed some when they had to go.