Health officials question people not sick in E. coli outbreak

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Health officials told Channel 9 they need answers to the growing E. coli problem.

They tried an eight-page questionnaire for those people who are sick and got no new leads.

They are questioning people who went to the Cleveland County Fair and didn't get sick.

Health officials want to know what people like curious Caleb Kimble did during his day at the fair.

His mother said they were very careful.

“We were kind of cautious about being around the animals or letting the kids touch the animals,” said mother Amber Kimble.

So were the parents of some of the children who got sick.

Jordan McNair's mother said she was very careful and very clean.

Eyewitness News spoke with the Cleveland County health director by phone Friday.

She admits health officials are just trying to collect all of the data they can.

"We are just looking for answers and we are looking at every angle we can possibly look at,” said Cleveland County Health Director Dorothea Wyant.

They’re trying to implement what they call a control case study.

They will question healthy people who went to the fair and are the same age as those infected.

The ages range from 2 to 46.

"You figure that they are going to eat about the same type of food and they are going want to see the same type of exhibits,” Wyant said.

The health director said she hopes the additional information may point out areas of concern they missed the first time.

They still insist that the fair has not been deemed the source of the contamination.

WSOC