Seven E.coli cases at primary school

Redfield Edge Primary School in Bristol was closed on May 20 after three pupils became ill and were taken to hospital for treatment where one remained yesterday.

The Health Protection Agency (HPA) said it was now looking at other primary schools in the area where milder symptoms have been reported.

It said in the last week parents of 40 pupils at Redfield Edge School had reported mostly milder symptoms in children including stomach ache and diarrhoea, with some experiencing more severe symptoms.

The agency added that all affected children were being laboratory tested for E.coli O157 and the source of possible infection is unknown.

Dr David Hunt, consultant with the HPA’s South West Health Protection Unit, said: “There remains no evidence the illness was due to food served at the school. It may have come from outside the school and we are keeping an open mind.”