Is watermelon on the list of suspected food sources health officials are considering in E. coli outbreaks that have sickened children in Oregon and Kentucky? To solve outbreaks, investigators look for common exposures. Watermelon is one thing children in both states ate before they became ill, Food Poisoning Bulletin has learned.
Health officials in both states say they do not yet know the source of the outbreaks and have not stated whether the cases are linked. But one common exposure is watermelon.
The three Oregon children recently diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) from E. coli infections all spent time near the same river and ate watermelon they bought from a Walmart store before they became ill, according to one of the mothers.
All three of those children were hospitalized. Aubrie Utter, 3, was released after a weeklong stay that included five blood transfusions. Brad Sutton, 5, has been receiving dialysis and remans hospitalized. Serena Profitt, 4, died last week.
In Kentucky, five children have been hospitalized with HUS. The first illness was reported in late August, the most recent was last week. Some of them reported eating watermelon before they became ill, but the melon was not purchased form Walmart, according to Wendy Keown, Director of School Health and Communicable Diseases, PIO, Lincoln Trail District Health Department.
HUS is a life-threatening complication that develops in about 15 percent of pediatric E. coli infections. It causes kidney failure, seizure, stroke and coma. Symptoms of an E.coli infection develop between one and 10 days of exposure and include stomach cramps and diarrhea that is often bloody. If your child has bloody diarrhea seek medical care right away.
Past E. coli outbreaks have been linked to undercooked beef, unpasteurized drinks, dairy products, fresh produce, swimming areas and petting zoos. If you have information about these or other outbreaks, let us know.
