Santa Cruz County and the City of Capitola, California announced the closure of Capitola Beach on November 10 as they investigate an E. coli outbreak believed to have originated in the area. Nine children have fallen ill in Santa Cruz and the greater Bay Area.
“The source of the outbreak remains unknown, and public health officials have determined all exposures likely occurred at Capitola Beach or in surrounding waterways,” the county’s Health Services Agency said in a press release.
Of the nine cases, four involve Santa Cruz children, while the other five struck children visiting from other Bay Area Counties.
E. coli are a group of bacteria that cause gastrointestinal illness. They spread through fecal-to-oral transmission, often when runoff carries human or animal feces into waterways.
The agency said it has conducted environmental sampling and that the closure will limit further exposure as it continues its investigation.
Santa Cruz County conducts regular water quality tests and posts the results online. The latest tests show that all samples from Capitola Beach and the upstream watershed of Soquel Creek triggered “health advisory” status. It’s unclear why the water quality is so poor, given there hasn’t been any rainfall this week.
County officials recommend staying out of the water in Capitola, avoiding swimming with open wounds, and keeping pets out of waterways.
