The outbreak appears to have originated when untreated well water was used for drinking and making snow cones and lemonade. Health officials suspect that an infectious strain of E. coli, often found in cow manure, washed into the ground water from a nearby barn. (Other outbreaks have been traced to ground beef, tainted in slaughterhouses.) By late last week the outbreak had peaked and State Health Commissioner Antonia Novello promised new water regulations at future fairs. The best news, by far, was that Kaylea and the other sick kids seemed to be improving.
