The outbreak killed six people and made hundreds ill at the end of May, becoming one of the worst outbreaks of E. coli water contamination in North America. In the public's perception, E. coli is linked with sewage, animal or human feces, and is generally thought of more as an indicator of water contamination rather than the cause of serious illness. Here on the algae-strewn, murky beaches of the south side of Lake Ontario, we are used to coliform counts to indicate whether the beaches will be open or closed on those hot summer days when everyone would like to splash into the cooling lake waters. A fair amount of the time, the counts are too high and the beaches are closed. The public still comes down to the water, and many dive in, because human nature would prefer to cool off and have fun now and worry about getting sick later.
Complications can include high blood pressure, paralysis, seizures or loss of sight.
Members of the public who are adequately informed about this strain of E. coli know the virulence and risk, particularly to children, the elderly and those whose immune systems are compromised. I'm not sure the number of adequately informed people is very high, however. It is also questionable how well-informed water utilities workers are, though there is an ethical obligation for them to understand the many potential contaminants and their risks. The chairman of the public utilities commission in Walkerton said the utility workers may not have known how dangerous E. coli can be. The commission itself was aware of E. coli contamination before the outbreak occurred but appeared to deny its significance.