The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS) has announced that at least 14 people are ill as a result of drinking water at a sports complex. The illnesses have been linked to E. coli in water at Class Act Sports Complex in Jackson, Missouri.
DHSS reports that:
Officials with the Cape Girardeau County Public Health Center tested water from a drinking fountain and a faucet within the facility and confirmed the presence of E. coli in both samples. The sports complex, which is served by a private well, shut off its water last Thursday at the urging of local health officials.
Four of those sickened have been hospitalized. The DHSS announcement does not make clear which strain of E. coli has been implicated. Most reported cases of illness from the bacteria are linked to E. coli O157:H7. The recent E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, however, is linked to E. coli O145.