Third E. Coli Infection Confirmed At Fair

State health officials confirmed Sunday that a third child who visited the Western Washington State Fair was infected with the same strain of E. coli poisoning that made two other children sick.

But they still had not pinned down the source of the exposure, said John Kobayashi, communicable disease epidemiologist.

Seventeen others who attended the Puyallup fair reported E. colilike symptoms.

“We have obtained samples from most of these people and are beginning to test for E. coli O157:H7,” Kobayashi said. “We will work this week to get samples from the rest of those patients.”

Health officials have inspected all of the fair’s hamburger facilities and samples are being tested at the state lab in Shoreline. Samples also have been taken from animals at the petting zoo and from water rides. Those results aren’t expected until later this week.