Livestock blamed for E.coli outbreak in polygamous towns
SALT LAKE CITY — Utah health authorities say livestock was the source of an E.coli outbreak that killed two children and sickened 10 others in a mostly polygamous community on the Utah-Arizona border.
Southwest Utah Public Health Department spokesman David Heaton said Friday the infection originated in animal manure and spread between humans.
Most of those affected by the outbreak first reported on July 1 were children, who are particularly sensitive.
Heaton says several animals tested positive for a dangerous strain of E. coli and their owners were instructed on how to prevent its spread.
Tests showed local meat, dairy products and water supply were clean.
The sister towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, are home to a polygamous group known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
