AHS expands window of illness at Saskatoon Farm restaurant

A gastrointestinal outbreak has now been declared at Saskatoon Farm near Okotoks, with the number of cases of people falling ill growing to more than 200.

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has expanded the window of possible cases of illness connected to a restaurant at the Saskatoon Farm after several more cases of a parasitic infection have been found.

AHS says nine cases of Entamoeba histolytica, a parasite that can cause dysentery, have been identified in people who ate at the restaurant east of Okotoks, Alta.

The agency now says that anyone who dined at the Saskatoon Farm’s restaurant between July 1 and 18 could be at risk. The previous time frame was July 1 to 16.

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AHS says it has fielded an increased number of calls to 811 from Albertans reporting symptoms, but only laboratory presumptive case numbers will be released.

As of July 28, there were 26 probable cases of E. coli linked to Saskatoon Farm.

Three people have been hospitalized because of the incident, but two of those patients have since been discharged.

AHS said other viruses were found during testing, such as norovirus and rotavirus, but it’s not clear if these can be linked directly to the investigation.

“Both norovirus and rotavirus are common viruses associated with gastrointestinal illness,” AHS said in a statement.

Officials said additional testing will be done with individuals who ate at the restaurant within the above timeframe but did not become ill to further the investigation.