Golden – Public health and sheriff’s officials are investigating the cause of an intestinal illness that has struck at least 53 inmates at the Jefferson County Jail.
Nine inmates were treated at hospitals, with one inmate still hospitalized.
“We have an inkling, but we don’t have a definite diagnosis,” Dr. Mark Johnson, executive director of Jefferson County Public Health and Environment, said of the “small outbreak” that began Friday.
Johnson added, “We’re leaning toward food-borne illness based on the symptoms.”
The number of inmates complaining of abdominal cramping, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, bloody stools and malaise grew over the weekend, with the latest case reported Monday morning.
To narrow the source, officials are trying to identify foods that those who were sickened may have eaten in the five days before symptoms began.
Kitchen workers and the food supplier are being questioned, and testing is being conducted on blood and stool samples, as well as samples of each meal served in the prior five days.
Johnson said the cause could be found in the next few days. The state lab, he said, has made it “a priority.”
Inmates who have been transferred to other facilities and those who have been released are being notified, said sheriff’s spokeswoman Jacki Kelley.
All inmates who leave the Jefferson County Jail for court appearances, visitation and work release are being required to wash their hands.
The 44 inmates who are still ill have been quarantined in two areas – one for men and the other for women – to prevent further spread of the disease in the 1,400-inmate facility.
Kelley said they are being treated with liquids and medications and some with intravenous fluids.
Staff writer Ann Schrader can be reached at 303-278-3217 or aschrader@denverpost.com.
