A bacterial bloodstream infection that has been connected to 18 deaths since Dec. 29 is being investigated by state health officials and the CDC, according to the Journal Sentinel.
Elizabethkingia anophelis has infected 44 people, mostly over age 65, between Nov. 1, 2015, and March 2, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services. All of the affected individuals have at least one underlying serious illness. Eighteen of them have died.
Elizabethkingia are bacteria that tend to cause illness in immunosuppressed individuals, and the infection can be extremely deadly, according to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.
DHS officials were notified of six potential cases between Dec. 29 and Jan. 4, and statewide surveillance started Jan. 5, according to the Wisconsin State Journal.
"Determining the source of the bacteria affecting patients in Wisconsin is a complex process," Karen McKeown, a state health officer, told the State Journal. "While we recognize there will be many questions we cannot yet answer, we feel it is important to share the limited information we have about the presence of the bacteria as we continue our work to determine the source."
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