Oklahoma State Health Department spokeswoman Leslea Bennett-Webb announced that 12 to 20 other people in Beggs, Pryor and Bixby were treated at various other hospitals. The Oklahoma Health Department says up to two dozen people have been treated and released at other hospitals in northeastern Oklahoma.
Though doctors suspect the cause of infection to be E. coli bacteria, the health department has not confirmed it yet. Officials will be unable to confirm until the results of lab tests are in, but other food borne illnesses cannot yet be excluded.
The source of the bacteria has not yet been identified. E. coli bacteria can cause serious food poisoning in humans. The infection can trigger stomach cramps, diarrhea, dehydration and, in severe cases, kidney failure.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, E. coli infects an estimated 73,000 people and kills 61 a year in the U.S. The most vulnerable groups include children, seniors and persons whose immune systems are weakened.
