Wash up after handling raw burger meat: Health Authority

A spike in E. coli bacteria infections this summer is prompting Manitoba health officials to warn people about the risks of handling raw hamburger meat.

So far this year, 42 Winnipeggers have become ill with E. coli infections. Ten people got sick this week alone, and one man is recovering in hospital as of Wednesday.

Dr. Margaret Fast, medical officer of healthwith the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, said Wednesday she is concerned that the number of cases is so high.

"In all of '05 we had 13 cases and in all of '04 we had 25 cases," Fast said Wednesday.

"Now, back in 1999 we also had a large number of cases, so this isn't unheard of. But it certainly is many more cases than we've seen in the past several years."

Fast said it appeared most people are becoming infected after eating hamburgers, but she noticed the majority of people were cooking the meat properly.

Rather, Fast believes the spike is likely attributed to people not washing hands and surfaces that came into contact with the contaminated meat.

"There's cross-contamination of some kind going on so that the area where you prepare the meat, you're not washing it well enough before you put the salad on it, for example," she said.

Fast said it's important to wash hands, cutting boards and dish cloths after handling raw hamburger.

Health officials are still trying to pinpoint where the contaminated meat came from.

There's been an increase in E. coli infections across the country this year.