Nursery World - Nurseries closed by E.coli infection closes nurseries (1)

Early years settings in Belfast and Suffolk have closed following separate outbreaks of the E.coli 0157 organism. Two female staff at the Matt Talbot Nursery School in the New Barnsley area of west Belfast were taken ill with symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea but have now been discharged from hospital. However, a third case involving a seven-year-old girl from St Bernadette's Primary School nearby is believed to be linked to the other two cases.

Two female staff at the Matt Talbot Nursery School in the New Barnsley area of west Belfast were taken ill with symptoms of sickness and diarrhoea but have now been discharged from hospital. However, a third case involving a seven-year-old girl from St Bernadette's Primary School nearby is believed to be linked to the other two cases.

All 50 children and staff at the nursery school have been tested for the bug and the results were expected earlier this week. The setting voluntarily closed for the summer holidays last week following the outbreak.

Dr Brian Morgan, the Eastern Health Board's consultant in communicative disease control, said, 'While illness due to this infection has not been identified among any children attending the nursery, we want to eliminate any risk of them passing on mild infection from the organism.'

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