Using records obtained under an open records request, WBAY reported Friday that the Wisconsin Department of Health Services began investigating the outbreak of the bacteria known as Elizabethkingia in December and told hospitals and labs to be on the lookout for the infection in January, but waited to announce it to the public in March.
Eighteen deaths have been linked to Elizabethkingia in Wisconsin, and 59 cases have been confirmed in the state in the largest outbreak in the U.S. The state health department says it has not been determined if those deaths were caused by the infection or other serious pre-existing health problems.
