Parents of children infected by an E. coli outbreak in Calgary daycares want to hear more from Alberta’s premier about how she plans to protect children and families.
In an open letter sent to the premier’s office Thursday morning, the parents questioned why they haven’t heard public comments from Premier Danielle Smith. You can view the full letter at the end of this article.
“Surely the suffering of our children merits more communication than a single tweet,” the parents wrote, referencing a social media post on Sept. 10.
Smith’s office said she has made the outbreak “her number one priority” and will be joining the health minister, the minister of child and family services, and the chief medical officer of health and other health officials for an update Friday morning.
“She has heard the heartbreaking stories from parents and, rest assured, action will be taken,” the statement from the premier’s office said.
The parents said when their children began to fall ill at the end of August – including with bloody diarrhea and children passing “their own flesh as they screamed in pain” – the Sept. 3 notification of the daycare-associated E. coli infection came as a surprise because they trusted their children’s daycares.
“We sat in emergency rooms with their friends and fellow parents, stunned and looking for answers,” the parents wrote. “Some of our children went on to develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), some of them have kidney damage and some are receiving blood transfusions. Many of them continue to be admitted to hospital and (are) terribly ill.”
Alberta Health Services declared an outbreak on Sept. 4 and, on Thursday, said 11 children were diagnosed with HUS and eight had recovered. Six were on dialysis, one fewer from the day before.
The parents expressed dissatisfaction with a provincial update on Sept. 12 that included the health minister, the minister of child and family services, the chief medical officer of health and a section chief from the Alberta Children’s Hospital.
“The recent press conference revealed nothing to regain our trust in the government’s ability to respond adequately to this situation,” the open letter reads.
In an interview with Global News, Health Minister Adriana LaGrange said she went to Alberta Children’s Hospital on Wednesday and met with health-care workers, parents and children. She said she “really got to talk to them and see what they’re going through.”
The parents want to know what, if any, consequences or follow-up will happen with the central kitchen AHS inspectors suspect is the source of the outbreak that, as of Thursday, included 329 lab-confirmed cases of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
“How can we rest assured they are safe to eat at any facility governed by this province when consequences for unsafe food practices do not exist? When did the ability of businesses to continue running become the priority over the safety of the public, especially our children? Is this what we can expect as the UCP continues to “cut the red tape?” the parents asked.
LaGrange said AHS continues to investigate the outbreak: a process that includes testing of food samples, inspections of the kitchen and interviews with everyone affected.
“Once we have the investigation results, if there’s more required, we will absolutely look at what those recommendations are and what we can do to bolster the system if, in fact, it needs to be bolstered,” the health minister said Thursday. “We should never be in this situation again. So I want to make sure that that investigation is thorough and that we get answers.”
On Wednesday, Calgary Zone medical officer of health Dr. Franco Rizzuti said that violations found by health inspectors will often be corrected immediately, inspectors often revisit a site soon after, and education is a preferred approach as part of a “comprehensive strategy.”
“Typically within environmental public health, it is rare that we use legal routes to have formal closures,” Rizzuti said.
“Inspections are only one part of the toolkit.”
The open letter also made an appeal for assistance while the parents, many who, without childcare, are unable to work and face added financial stress.
“Now is our time of need, now is when we need to know the leadership Albertans voted for will step up,” they wrote, noting their children are not of voting age.
“What are you going to do to protect our most vulnerable citizens and support their families?”
More patients discharged from hospital
A Thursday update from AHS showed the number of patients in hospital was falling. Thirteen kids were in hospital, with eight children being able to go home to recover from their E. coli infection.
The provincial health authority said children in hospital are stable and responding to treatment.
At the peak, 27 patients were in hospital.
There were 329 lab-confirmed cases linked to the outbreak, 19 more than Wednesday. AHS said there are 22 infections from secondary transmission, all in households linked to the outbreak.
“The centralized kitchen that supplied food to the impacted daycares remains closed until further notice,” AHS said.
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