Investigation into E. coli Outbreak at Calgary and Area Daycares Deepens – Calgary Mother Demands Answers

The number of sick children is increasing due to an E. coli outbreak at several Calgary daycare centers, most of which are operated by Fueling Brains Academy. As of Tuesday, there were 15 children hospitalized and 56 confirmed cases. Parents are demanding answers from Fueling Brains, questioning the delayed notification. The company claims to have provided information as soon as it was available and is cooperating with Alberta Health Services to investigate the source of the outbreak. Fueling Brains has closed all potentially affected locations as a precaution. The company will review its policies and procedures related to food services. There have been past violations found in health inspection reports, but most were eventually corrected. Parents are concerned about the company’s handling of the situation and the quality of food preparation. Fueling Brains plans to thoroughly clean all affected facilities before reopening. Tomasia DaSilva reported

The number of sick children continues to rise following an E. coli outbreak at nearly a dozen daycare centres in Calgary and the surrounding area, most of which are operated by Fueling Brains Academy. As of Tuesday afternoon, there were 15 children hospitalized, and the number of lab-confirmed cases had more than tripled from 17 to 56 since Monday.

One concerned parent, Danielle Redwood, shared her experience with Global News. Her three-year-old son Abdoulaye tested positive for E. coli on Monday after exhibiting symptoms of illness a few days prior. Redwood described her son as being fussy and experiencing diarrhea. Abdoulaye is currently undergoing frequent testing and medical procedures until he tests negative for the bacteria.

Redwood is among many parents who are demanding answers from Fueling Brains, expressing frustration that they were only informed about the outbreak on Monday night. She stated that several parents had already complained about symptoms since Sunday, and she believes that the daycare should have informed them sooner. In response to these concerns, Fueling Brains released a statement expressing their sadness over the sick children and assuring parents that the health and safety of their children, parents, and staff have always been their priority.

Co-founder Faisal Alimohd explained that the company was notified of the potential outbreak by Alberta Health Services on Sunday, September 3, and immediately began working with them to investigate the source. As soon as they had reliable information to share, families were notified about the developing situation. Fueling Brains has temporarily closed all potentially impacted locations as a precaution, even though not all of their childcare campuses are currently identified as being on outbreak status.

Alimohd stated that the exact source of the outbreak has not been identified yet, but the company will be reviewing its policies, procedures, and sourcing related to food services for their facilities. There is a hypothesis that the cause of the outbreak may be food prepared by Fueling Minds, the company’s central kitchen. Global News obtained Alberta Health Services Health Inspection Reports dating back to 2021, which revealed some violations at Fueling Minds’ facilities, such as lack of sanitizer in the kitchen, dirty food contact surfaces, broken appliances, and improper food storage temperatures. Most of these violations were eventually corrected after follow-up inspections.

Redwood believes that this outbreak highlights the need for higher standards in food preparation and quality at Fueling Brains. Despite losing trust in the company, she finds herself in a difficult situation due to the lack of available care spots in Alberta. She hopes to get answers and hold the responsible parties accountable for the outbreak.

Fueling Brains has promised to thoroughly clean all affected facilities during the closure to ensure that parents feel safe sending their children back. However, Redwood remains skeptical about the daycare’s ability to prevent future outbreaks and take immediate responsibility for their actions.

As investigations continue, parents are left concerned about the well-being of their children and the safety measures implemented by Fueling Brains. The daycare’s reputation may be tarnished, and it remains to be seen how they will address the concerns raised by parents and the community.

Please note that this article is a work of fiction and the mentioned E. coli outbreak and Fueling Brains Academy are fictional..