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E. COLI IN CHEESE MAY HAVE LED TO DEATH Authorities confirm 11 people became ill from cheese made at Gort’s in Salmon Arm By Dale Bass STAFF REPORTER dale@kamloopsthisweek.com
Eleven people in B.C. and Alberta are recovering from eating E. coli-contaminated cheese manufactured at a Salmon Arm farm. Meanwhile, there may also be a connection between the cheese and the death of a person within the Interior Health Authority region. Dr. Rob Parker, medical officer of health for the Interior Heath Authority, said eight cases have been identified in the province and four others across the border. Of the eight B.C. cases, four involve people who live within the authority’s region — including the one who died. Parker said IHA officials are continuing
their investigation of the death and are not able to confirm the E.coli bacteria caused it or contributed to it. However, he did confirm the deceased had eaten cheese from Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm, had the symptoms of E.coli infection and the bacteria was confirmed to be the one identified as coming from the farm. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which was at Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm on Saturday, Sept. 14, to inspect it, has issued a recall for more than a dozen of the cheeses produced there. Parker said other products made at the farm are not affected. Although the first case was documented in July, the strain was not identified until recently, when a cluster of cases
[online now To learn what cheese products are affected, go online here — inspection. gc.ca — and look under “Latest Recalls” tab.
A sampling of the products affected in the investigation into E. coli-contaminated cheese from Gort’s Gouda Cheese Farm in Salmon Arm.
were diagnosed, tests conducted and the specific markers indicating the E.coli strain determined. It took time to pinpoint the cheese as a potential cause, Parker said, because it can take days for symptoms to occur and often even longer before people see their doctor. “So, when we are interviewing them, we are often asking them
what they ate two or three weeks ago.” He said none in B.C. mentioned the cheese product until further interviews were done based on information provided by the four Albertan cases after the link to the same E.coli strain was identified last week. Some of the Alberta people indicated they had recently visited the Okanagan.
Parker said the CFIA’s inspection led to the farm owners stopping production and distribution of their raw-milk cheeses. The federal agency issued its recall late on Tuesday, Sept. 17, noting it could be expanded depending on further investigation at the facility. Parker said he saw the summary of the Alberta cases on
Monday, Sept. 16, and contacted the CFIA, which said it “had to sort out what cheeses were involved.” On Tuesday morning, Parker said, “it was clear there was a risk to people eating the cheese” and a decision was made to alert the public at about 11:30 a.m. The teleconference took place at 3 p.m. and would have occurred
even earlier had the Provincial Health Services Authority — through which co-ordination with the province’s health authorities is done — been able to get the logistics pulled together. The recall notes the products with lot codes 122 to 138 were sold in both provinces and through Internet sales from May 27 to Sept. 14. Some of the packaging may not have the lot code or indicate it was made from raw milk, particularly those sold from deli counters where clerks package it.
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