News broke in March of a bacterial bloodstream infection in Wisconsin that was linked to 18 deaths, but, according to a WBAY report, the state knew about the outbreak months prior to its March public announcement.
WBAY obtained documents through an open records request that show the Department of Health Services was notified of a possible outbreak at the end of December 2015. The department told healthcare facilities in the state to look out for Elizabethkingia infections in the beginning of January, but didn't tell the public until March.
According to a statement the state health department issued to WBAY, the department acted immediately when it was notified of a potential outbreak by reaching out to healthcare providers, labs and infection preventionists throughout the state, as well as notifying the CDC.
"This outbreak has proven to be very unique and complex, and our disease detectives have yet to find the source of the bacteria, which limits the directives we can offer to the public related to prevention," the statement reads. "This was a rare situation in which we recognized that releasing information without being able to offer any direction on how to avoid it would inspire fear among the public."
The health department eventually released information to the public after weighing the risk of inspiring fear with the value of transparency.
As of April 13, Elizabethkingia has sickened 63 people in Wisconsin and killed 18. There is also an additional death among a possible Elizabethkingia case, bringing the total number of deaths to 19 in Wisconsin.
Cases of Elizabethkingia have also been identified in Michigan and Illinois.