Infections With Escherichia coli 0157:H7 in Washington State: The First Year of Statewide Disease Surveillance

In 1987, Washington became the first state to require that infection with Escherichia coli serotype 0157:H7 be reported. In the first year of surveillance, 93 cases were reported, yielding an annual incidence of 2.1 cases per 100 000 population. The median age of case patients was 14 years (range, 11 months to 78 years), with the highest attack rate among children younger than 5 years (6.1 cases per 100 000 population per year). Bloody diarrhea...