E. coli cases in Calgary outbreak hit 231 as several daycares reopen

Braineer Academy, Little Oak Early Education, Almond Branch and Fueling Brains Bridgeland all had their closure orders rescinded because they did not have cases linked to their location and had met AHS conditions to reopen.

The number of lab-confirmed E. coli cases in an outbreak linked to several daycares in Calgary jumped to 231 on Monday, according to Alberta Health Services (AHS), an increase of 190 from the day prior.

AHS says 26 people remain in hospital and all but one of the patients are children. 

"It is important to note that the majority of individuals who get sick from E. coli generally improve on their own and without specific treatment within 10 days, but a small proportion may develop more severe complications," reads a statement from AHS.

Of the confirmed cases, 21 have the severe illness Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome or HUS.

"For children, where we see that they're evolving into the Hemolytic Urine Syndrome or develop it, those children are pretty much all hospitalized," said Dr. Stephen Freedman, an emergency physician at Alberta Children's Hospital

"Children who are not at that point, but sometimes even just because of the dehydration or the pain or the inability to drink, sometimes those children need to be hospitalized as well.''

As the cases climb, several of the daycares that were closed under the AHS order were allowed to reopen.