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HILDALE, Washington County — The Southwest Utah Public Health Department is investigating a possible E. coli outbreak in Hildale, officials announced on Facebook Saturday.
The outbreak is confined to a small area with negligible risk to the rest of the community, the post states. Officials were not releasing the specific location of the outbreak area while the investigation is ongoing.
David Heaton, spokesman for the department, said the contamination source isn't from the water.
"All our water testing so far is showing clean," he said. "We're pretty sure we're looking at a source of either food contamination or exposure to animals or animal waste."
The symptoms of E. coli include stomach cramps, diarrhea, fevers below 101 degrees and vomiting.
The department is not releasing the severity or the number of E. coli cases.
"When it looks like it's more than one case or two or three that are related to each other, or appear in a cluster, that's when it lights up as an outbreak," Heaton said.
On Saturday, the department's epidemiologist was interviewing and identifying who was exposed to the contamination.
Hildale and Colorado City, Arizona, are twin cities and home to many members of the polygamous Fundamentalist LDS Church.
