300 Marines Sickened; Cases of E. Coli At Base

SAN DIEGO, CA -- More than 300 Marine recruits have been affected by a diarrheal illness, some of them by E.coli, officials announced Tuesday.

The announcement, which was made via Twitter, said that 302 recruits at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego and at Camp Pendleton in Oceanside were affected. Ten recruits have been admitted to an off-base medical facility while the remainder are being cared for aboard the base.

The source of the outbreak is under investigation and some of the cases are infected with the Shiga toxin causing E.coli bacteria, officials said.

“Our immediate focus is identifying, isolating and treating recruits who present symptoms,” said Brig. Gen. William Jurney, commanding general of MCRD San Diego, in a statement. “We are working to identify the cause of the sickness, making sure our affected recruits can return to training as soon as possible and continuing training for recruits not influenced.”

• The command is currently investigating the source of the outbreak, but the following preventative actions have been taken as a response:
• Separation and treatment protocols which isolates recruits presenting symptoms and limits interaction with unaffected recruits.
• Increased hygiene requirements focusing on handwashing.
• Enhanced facilities cleaning to ensure proper sanitation and hygiene in all areas.
• Increased inspections of barracks, chow halls and common areas by Naval Medical Center San Diego’s Preventative Medicine Unit.
• The dissemination of guidance on identifying possible symptoms to proactively seek treatment for potential cases.

Family members will be contacted by the command if a recruit’s graduation date changes due to missed training resulting from sickness, officials said.

--Patch photo