CDC to help Washington state find source of E. coli outbreak at milk fest

Public health officials in Washington state said on Friday they had asked for assistance from the federal government in tracking the source of an E. coli outbreak that has sickened more than 40 people who attended a milk festival last month. So far, eight people have been hospitalized, including a teenager treated for acute kidney failure, after being sickened by E. coli bacteria during the three-day Milk Makers Fest in Lynden, Washington, state health officials said. On Friday, the Washington State Department of Health said it had asked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for assistance in tracking the source of the outbreak, since it was unknown whether it was linked to food, milk, livestock, a petting zoo or another source. There have been 22 confirmed cases and 20 probable cases linked to the festival, Whatcom County officials said.
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