All news

16 students hospitalized in Sverdlovsk region yersiniosis outbreak

Two persons are in the condition of medium severity

YEKATERINBURG, November 2 (Itar-Tass) — Sixteen students of the polytechnic in the town of Irbit, Sverdlovsk region, were hospitalized in a yersiniosis outbreak, the press service of the regional public health department told Itar-Tass on Wednesday.

Regional health care officials told Tass that some of the contacts might also be sick with scarlet fever.

A majority of the contacts were hospitalized in the period from October 28 through October 31. As of Wednesday, two persons are in the condition of medium severity, one person is in an IT ward and the rest are in satisfactory condition.

Regional prosecutors and the department of the Rospotrebnadzor Federal Service for Supervision of Consumers Protection and Welfare have launched a check into the incident.

Yersiniosis is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium of the genus Yersinia. Infection with Y. enterocolitica occurs most often in young children. The infection is thought to be contacted through the consumption of undercooked meat products, unpasteurized milk, or water contaminated by the bacteria. It can also be contacted through eating from the plate of infected person.