An E. coli outbreak originating in Flathead County has caused one death and stricken at least a dozen other people, county health officials reported Wednesday.

Preliminary investigative findings point toward ground beef containing E. coli bacteria that was sold directly to several restaurants from a distributor, according to a release from the Flathead City-County Health Department.  

The tainted product was not available for purchase in grocery stores. The last known date of consumption of the product was July 14. 

According to the release, county health officials worked directly with all affected facilities to remove any remaining product and are working with state and local health agencies to investigate the outbreak. 

Flathead City-County Health Department Population Health Supervisor Malia Freeman said in an email response that due to the ongoing investigation, the agency cannot release the names of the restaurants involved. Officials are still awaiting more confirmatory lab results for the outbreak source.  

However, Freeman said all restaurants linked with the cases are in Flathead County.  

To date, the investigation has identified at least 13 people associated with the outbreak. There has been one death, while other cases experienced moderate to severe symptoms. 

Symptoms of E. coli infection include severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever and chills. In severe cases, the infection can also damage organs. 

Freeman said based on the information gathered during the investigation, all known cases were exposed in Flathead County, but not all cases involve local residents. Because it can take up to 10 days to start exhibiting symptoms, some individuals had already returned home prior to feeling sick. 

Flathead City-County Health Department Health Officer Jennifer Rankosky said the staff sends condolences to all family and friends affected by this death.  

“Our staff continues to work diligently through this investigation and were able to identify a suspect source early to mitigate risks and prevent others from getting sick,” Rankosky said in the release.  

Freeman said that the agency is notified of positive E. coli cases through the Montana Infectious Disease Information System.  

“Once we receive notification, we contact the individual and conduct a case investigation. The case investigation asks questions regarding potential exposures of the individuals by collecting a food history, asking about travel, recreational activities and animal exposures (among other factors,)” Freeman said.  

If the health department continues to have cases reported, staff start to look for trends and similarities between the cases to determine if they might be linked. Freeman said if they find commonalities, they carry out public health response actions to mitigate the risk. 

“Our environmental health and communicable disease teams work very closely on these types of outbreaks,” she said. 

Symptoms of E. coli infection occur between one and 10 days after exposure, with an average of three to four days after exposure, according to health department officials. Individuals that may be experiencing symptoms are encouraged to contact their health care provider.  

E. coli infections can be prevented by cooking ground beef and pork to a minimum internal temperature of 160 degrees and avoiding rare or undercooked ground beef. Health department officials also recommend carefully washing hands with soap and warm water after using the bathroom and changing diapers, particularly before handling or eating any food. This includes hand washing after contact with farm animals, animal feces and animal environments.  

Other precautionary measures include washing raw fruits and vegetables before eating, keeping raw meat separate from produce and other foods when shopping for and storing groceries and avoiding unpasteurized beverages. 

For more information about E. coli and illness prevention tips, visit cdc.gov/ecoli/about/index.html.

Reporter Taylor Inman can be reached at 406-758-4433 or by emailing [email protected].