Tag Archives: Oak Leaf Dairy Farm

Sheep go to heaven, goats go to hell: 41 sick as E. coli at Connecticut petting farm grows

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More cases of E. coli have now been confirmed in connection to a dairy farm in Lebanon.

959978c3eb4288a90f1a4f44403753c2The Department of Public Health now says that 41 people have been diagnosed with E. coli after visiting the Oak Leaf Dairy Farm in March. The patients range in age from 9 months to 45 years old, with a median age of five. Of the 41 patients, seven are adults and the other 34 are under the age of 18. Of those under 18, 22 are under the age of five.

Of those who were diagnosed with E. coli, 10 were hospitalized, and one remains in the hospital. Also, three of the hospitalized patients were also determined to have hemolytic uremic syndrome, a rare but serious illness that affects the kidneys and blood clotting. The one child still hospitalized is one of the three who had HUS.

A table of animal contact-linked outbreaks can be found here.

From the we’ve-never-made-anyone-sick-before files: Conn. E. coli on goat farm edition

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The goat farm in Lebanon that may be linked to an E. coli outbreak has been given two stipulations by the health department, the owner told NBC Connecticut.

oak-leaf-dairy-goat-farm-march-6th-1024x684Oak Leaf Dairy Farm is no longer allowed to have the public visit its goats and may not distribute unpasteurized products, Mark Reynolds, the farm’s owner, said.

Reynolds said the outbreak has already started affecting his wholesale business. He said he had never had E. coli linked to his farm before.

The Department of Health and other agencies began to investigate Oak Leaf Dairy Farm after seven people contracted E. coli.

Six of those people were children who visited the farm and petted the goats.

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center said two patients have been diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).