Latest news with #HUS
Euronews
a day ago
- Health
- Euronews
How can you stay safe from E. coli amid a deadly outbreak in France?
A 12-year-old girl died in a food poisoning outbreak that has sickened about two dozen people in northern France. The outbreak, which appears to be linked to meat contaminated with the bacteria E. coli, has affected 24 children and one older person in the Saint-Quentin area since June 12. According to the regional health authority, nine patients – including the girl who died – developed hemolytic-uremic syndrome, a serious condition that can cause anaemia and kidney damage. As of Thursday, 10 people were still hospitalised. Here's what we know about the outbreak and how to keep yourself safe from E. coli. How were people infected with E. coli? French government agencies are investigating the origins of the outbreak. They believe it is linked to six butcher shops that may have sold contaminated meat, the regional government said on Thursday. Scientists are analysing samples from the butcher shops and patients to confirm where the bacteria came from. They expect to have answers in the coming days. Although most of the cases involve children, officials do not believe that school meals are to blame. How is France responding to the outbreak? The butcher shops under investigation have been temporarily closed, and prosecutors in Saint-Quentin and Paris have launched a legal probe into the outbreak. French authorities also issued public alerts about events where the shops sold meat in recent days, including a football tournament, a basketball festival, and a school fair. They advised people who have shopped there since June 1 to throw out any food, clean their refrigerators, and seek medical help if they develop symptoms such as bloody, mucousy diarrhoea. What are the symptoms of E. coli poisoning? Most strains of E. coli (Escherichia coli) are harmless, but some produce Shiga toxins that can make people sick, according to France's food safety agency (ANSES). Most people experience mild diarrhoea and stomach pain and tend to recover within a week. However, E. coli infection can also cause severe complications such as hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which occurs when small blood vessels are damaged and form clots that can hurt the organs. In 2023, 143 children in France developed HUS, with most cases among toddlers under the age of three, ANSES said. Symptoms can appear within 10 days of eating contaminated food, and include bloody diarrhoea, fever, vomiting, and stomach pain, cramping, or bloating. Signs of HUS-induced anaemia or kidney damage include easy bruising, loss of colour, fatigue, unusual bleeding, high blood pressure, and swelling of the legs, feet, or ankles. Kidney failure can be life-threatening, but most people who receive treatment for E. coli poisoning or HUS will recover. How can people protect against E. coli infection? Wash your hands with soap and water after using the toilet and before and after preparing food. Thoroughly cook your meat, wash your vegetables, and store and prepare raw foods separately from cooked foods, according to the regional government's alert. People should also refrigerate leftovers quickly and reheat them to kill off any bacteria. Meanwhile, children under the age of 5 should not drink raw milk or untreated water, for example, from a stream or well.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
French authorities open judicial inquiry into food poisoning of children
A judicial inquiry has been opened alongside a health investigation, into the severe food poisoning cases in northern France since 12 June. This comes after the death of a 12-year-old girl and reports of at least 19 children who fell ill. The prosecutor's office in Saint-Quentin announced on Monday that a preliminary judicial inquiry for involuntary homicide had been opened last week, alongside a health investigation. "This preliminary investigation was opened against unknown persons on charges of involuntary manslaughter, involuntary injury, endangering the lives of others and deception regarding goods presenting a danger to human life," according to a press release from the public prosecutor's office. Authorities in the Aisne department announced that the number of victims had risen to 19 after another child had been admitted to hospital with symptoms of food poisoning. French health chiefs identify E coli as cause of major food poisoning outbreak Eight of these young patients developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication characterised in particular by acute renal failure, one of whom, a 12-year-old girl, died on 16 June. Currently, six children who contracted HUS are still receiving dialysis, while ten other children have been able to leave the hospital and return home, while receiving "continuous medical monitoring," the prefecture said in a statement. Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:Frozen pizza blamed for deadly E coli infections sweeping FranceFrench brand recalls yoghurts contaminated with E coli bacteriaWoman dies in Bordeaux botulism outbreak linked to sardines
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
An Oklahoma toddler fights for her life after contracting multiple strains of E. coli after swimming at Keystone Lake
A 2-year-old is fighting for her life after contracting three strains of E. coli while swimming in Keystone Lake, her family says. Toddler Elisabeth Faircloth was swimming and boating with her family in Oklahoma in early June when she started feeling sick. The child was prescribed antibiotics for strep throat, but her condition only worsened. "It's a nightmare, and it happened so fast — within like a week, we're here," Suzanne Faircloth, the girl's mother, told KOTV. The antibiotic actually aggravated her infection, she told the outlet. At the emergency room, doctors told her family that the child had contracted three strains of E. coli, leading to Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS), an infection that affects the kidneys, according to Cleveland Clinic. "It blows our minds, because we've never even heard of anything like this ever happening," Faircloth said. "We've heard of E. coli — but usually in hamburgers." The little girl is still in the intensive care unit. "They are working night and day — the staff is amazing — just to keep her stable," Faircloth told KOTV about the hospital staff. "It kind of feels like you're drowning and you get brief moments of air just enough to keep you alive, but there's no end in sight." Melissa Lynne, the child's aunt, wrote in a social media post last week that her kidneys have been 'most severely' impacted. 'She is currently on dialysis and has been medically paralyzed in order to give her little body the best chance at conquering this thing,' she wrote. 'Although the prognosis is hopeful, it will be a very long battle to get her well again and it's uncertain if she will ever recover 100% or if there will be permanent kidney and/or brain damage.' She now is fighting an infection in her lungs, the family wrote on Facebook Monday, noting that doctors can't use the typical treatment — antibiotics — since that will only worsen her condition. In a social media post, they added: '[We] just can't imagine another child fighting for their life or parents living through this hell, when we could have warned families. Stay vigilant parents and get your kids in early if symptoms arise after a lake day.' 'The faster you get your kids in the better the odds,' they said.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Health
- CBS News
Girl dies from food poisoning, 7 others sickened after eating meat from butcher shops in France
Two butcher shops in northern France have temporarily closed after a child died from severe food poisoning, said local authorities on Friday. Eight children have come down with severe food poisoning since June 12 after consuming meat products from the two businesses in the northern city of Saint-Quentin. Five of them contracted a rare foodborne illness called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), including a 12-year-old girl who died. HUS in most cases occurs after someone ingests commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. HUS can lead to kidney failure, permanent health problems and even death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is "impossible at this stage to confirm that the consumption of products from these two establishments is the source of the contamination," local authorities said. But the children all consumed meat or meat products from these two butchers a few days before symptoms appeared, it said. Authorities have closed the two shops as a precautionary measure while samples from both stores are tested. The authorities said they should have the results "early next week" and an investigation has been launched into where the meat came from. HUS affects between 100 and 165 children in France each year, according to the country's public health agency. E. coli outbreaks have also made headlines recently in the U.S. Earlier this month, the Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service announced that ground beef that was distributed nationwide may be contaminated with E. coli. In November, a carrot recall was issued by California grower Grimmway Farms after nearly 40 cases were recorded in 18 states. At least 15 people were hospitalized and one person died, the CDC said. The month before that, an outbreak linked to McDonald's Quarter Pounders killed one person in Colorado and affected at least 104 people across 14 states, according to the CDC.
Yahoo
20-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Two French butchers close after child dies from food poisoning
Two butcher shops in northern France have temporarily closed after a child died from severe food poisoning, said local authorities on Friday. Eight children have come down with severe food poisoning since June 12 after consuming meat products from the two businesses in the northern city of Saint-Quentin. Five of them contracted a rare foodborne illness called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), including a 12-year-old girl who died. HUS in most cases occurs after someone ingests the Escherichia coli bacteria ( commonly found in the gut of humans and warm-blooded animals. It is "impossible at this stage to confirm that the consumption of products from these two establishments is the source of the contamination", local authorities said. But the children all consumed meat or meat products from these two butchers a few days before symptoms appeared, it said. Authorities have closed the two shops as a precautionary measure while samples from both stores are tested. The authorities said they should have the results "early next week" and an investigation has been launched into where the meat came from. HUS affects between 100 and 165 children in France each year, according to the country's public health agency. bj/ekf/ah/giv
