According to press reports, Hancock County Illinois Health Department learned from the Illinois Department of Public Health that lab results confirmed the existence of the E. coli O157:H7 bacteria in a case reported as "possible" last week. Confirmation of the case brings the tally of E. coli 0157:H7 cases in the area up to four, including two confirmed in Lee County last week and one confirmed in Des Moines County on Monday. The source of contamination, or whether the cases are connected, remains undetermined at this time.

With outbreaks in Washington, Vermont, Colorado, Michigan and Illinois in the past few weeks, my guess is that this Iowa/Illinois outbreak will be determined.