E. coli sickens three county residents in state outbreak

By Randall Rigsbee

The number of confirmed victims of the continuing E. coli outbreak has risen to include three in Chatham County, bringing the number of cases which have tested positive statewide to 35 on Monday, state health officials said.

Health officials noted that additional cases are not necessarily indicative of a renewed outbreak.

 “When you really look hard for E. coli cases as part of an outbreak investigation, you are always going to find them,” said State Epidemiologist Dr. Jeff Engel.

“Increased surveillance means that you will find unrelated cases that would have gone unnoticed or undiagnosed without the attention that comes with a potential outbreak,” said Engel. “It also means that you will find cases that are related to the outbreak, but hadn’t been included before.”

State health officials continued to stress prevention of the disease, which is found in about 10 percent of farm animals’ intestines.

 “Since the animals have no symptoms, we need to take actions to stop potential spread of the disease,” said Engel.

“Always thoroughly wash your hands after petting any animal,” he said. “People also need to be aware that this disease can be spread through ingestion of contaminated food. Thoroughly cooking hamburger and washing vegetables also helps to prevent the disease.”

Engel also noted that there have been no reported cases of secondary infection.

 “The best way to reduce the risk of getting E. coli from another person is thorough hand-washing,” he added. “Child care workers and others who work with children need to make sure that everyone – children and workers – wash their hands thoroughly. If a child care worker notices a child who appears to have diarrhea, they should immediately contact the parents and their local health department.”

In most cases, state health officials said, an infected person  may be ill with diarrhea for a few days, followed by improvement.

more- See Thursday, November 11 paper: Vol 84, No.50

Fire destroys family's home

By Melissa Ledgerwood

A Pittsboro family lost everything they owned in an early morning fire Monday, according to Chatham County fire marshal Thomas K. Bender.

“Nothing was salvageable,” he said.

Garry and Ceasine Headen of 250 Guthrie Road returned home after spending the night at UNC Hospitals in Chapel Hill with their ill teenage daughter only to find that their home was totally destroyed, Bender said.

A neighbor called 9-1-1 at 4:05 a.m. after they lost electricity and noticed a glow coming from the Headen’s six-year-old doublewide mobile home, the fire marshal stated.

Bender said most of the houses surrounding the Headen’s home located between NC 902 and Pittsboro-Goldston Road were powered by the same transformer that went out during the fire.

The Goldston Fire Department was dispatched to the scene and the Pittsboro Fire Department responded as an automatic aid, according to the fire marshal.

“There was not much of the house there when the fire department arrived,” he added.

Bender said it did not take long to put the fire out, and the only items remaining were a few charred appliances.

“They lost everything,” Bender added, “including personal belongings.”

more- See Thursday, November 11 paper: Vol 84, No.50

By Melissa Ledgerwood

and Cara Rotondaro

Chatham County law enforcement officials continue to investigate the recent disappearances of two men reported missing.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office continues to seek information in the disappearance of 71-year-old Willie “Bill” Headen, who has Alzheimer’s disease and was last seen at his home near Pittsboro last month, while the Siler City Police Department investigates the disappearance in late August of 73-year-old James David Fikes, who was staying with family.

 No new information has been uncovered in the search for 71-year-old Willie “Bill” Harold Headen, Major Gary Blankenship of the Chatham County Sheriff’s Office said in an interview Monday.

Headen, who has Alzheimer’s disease, was last seen in the yard of his home at 194 Jack Alston Road around 5:30 p.m. on Oct. 16.

The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office searched for the missing man with members of the County’s STAR team, a county fire department, FirstHealth, and law enforcement authorities from Alamance, Randolph and Rowan counties, though to no avail the first Saturday night Headen was missing.

“They just didn’t find anything,” Blankenship said.

Unfortunately, that’s still the case several weeks later, he said.

Search dogs from Stokes County, Va. were used about four or five days after everyone had cleared the search area in the hopes they might find something new, but no new information was uncovered, said Blankenship.

“The problem is it’s like a needle in a haystack,” he said. “You can only search so far in the limited search area.”

more- See Thursday, November 11 paper: Vol 84, No.50