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Two children confirmed dead, six infected in Southern Utah E. coli outbreak

Posted at 7:27 PM, Jul 03, 2017
and last updated 2017-07-03 21:28:48-04

HILDALE, Utah - An outbreak of E. coli has killed two children and spread to half a dozen.

The Southwest Utah Health Department confirmed Monday afternoon that 6 people contracted E. coli in this outbreak, most of them were children.

The two deaths were a result of HUS (hemolytic uremic syndrome), a complication of E. coli infection that causes kidney damage.

Enterobacteriaceae are a group of bacteria that include E.Coli (pictured).

The health department states they are investigating an outbreak of E. coli in the Hildale, Utah area. The department states the outbreak appears to be confined to a limited area with, "little or no risk to the larger community."

David Heaton, a spokesman for the health department, tells Fox 13 News they have tested the water in the area and are confident the water is not the source of the contamination.

“We’re pretty sure it’s not from the water," Heaton said. "The tests that we’ve done there have been clean every time. We’re looking at either exposure to an infected animal or to contaminated food, like food poisoning.”