ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Rockwood Summit High School underwent a deep clean overnight after multiple cases of suspected E. coli infections following an off-campus school event last week.
In an email sent to parents Wednesday, Rockwood Summit High School Principal Emily McCown said the district was contacted by the St. Louis County Department of Public Health in regards to the suspected E. coli infections. The email said it was all connected to food eaten at an "end-of-season event".
In the email, McCown said parents and students who attended the event have been contacted. She said the district provided them with information from the health department, including what to do if they start experiencing symptoms.
The email also said the district was bringing in "extra help" to deep clean the school. That cleaning included spraying classrooms and common areas, and increased focus on all bathrooms and doorknobs.
Amanda Brzozowski, Senior Epidimeologist and Supervisor of the Communicable Diseases Investigation Program for the St. Louis County Health Department tells 5 On Your Side, "We don't have evidence that any of the food produced at the school could be the source of the infection."
Brzozowski commends Rockwood for their extensive sanitizing efforts anyways, "cleaning, disinfecting is always a good idea. In that case I think they were more concerned with someone who was sick potentially being there and potentially transmitting it person to person."
In a statement, the health department said there were 19 associated cases of lab-confirmed or suspected E. coli infections in students and parents who attended the event.
The department is still investigating, which includes talking with other people at the event who did not get sick to see if there are other factors that could have led to the infections.
The health department said symptoms usually begin two to five days after exposure and can last up to 10 days.
The most common symptoms include severe diarrhea and painful abdominal cramps. The health department said at-risk groups can also experience a severe complication called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, which can lead to kidney failure, neurologic damage, and in some cases, death.
The health department said if you think you may be sick with E. coli infection, call your healthcare provider immediately.