The City of Capitola has temporarily closed Capitola Beach after an outbreak of E. coli O157 sickened nine children across the Bay Area, Santa Cruz County said in a Nov. 10 press release and ABC7 reported.
The county’s Public Health Division said four of the cases involve Santa Cruz County residents and five involve residents of other Bay Area counties, and that all nine cases are linked, indicating a common source or related exposures. Officials said the source of the outbreak remains unknown and that public health staff have determined the exposures likely occurred at Capitola Beach or in surrounding waterways.
The closure was made as a precaution at the recommendation of the Santa Cruz County public health officer, the release said. Environmental sampling has been conducted at four locations in and around Soquel Creek and Capitola Beach, including an upstream site near Nob Hill, the jetty, Soquel Creek Lagoon and the flume where water enters Monterey Bay. The county said it is coordinating with the California Department of Public Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and that the beach will remain closed pending further assessment.