HUS E. coli has infected three children in the Whatcom County, Washington, outbreak linked to a school-sponsored outing to the Milk Makers Festival in Lynden. A new report from the Washington State Department of Health said 15 E. coli cases have been confirmed, more than half of those patients were hospitalized and three have suffered the worst complication possible: HUS kidney failure, also known as hemolytic uremic syndrome. The disease can be fatal in a significant percentage of child cases, but no deaths have been reported in the Milk Makers outbreak. This week's Whatcom County E. coli update is the best accounting yet of how serious the outbreak became after the first school children began to fall ill in late April. More than 1,000 first graders from Bellingham and surrounding area … [Read more...]
Keep Children Safe at Petting Zoos to Avoid HUS E. coli
HUS E. coli is a life-threatening disease that children can contract from exposure to pathogenc E. coli at petting zoos or other animal exhibits commonly visited in summer and fall by families on outings to apple orchards, pumpkin patches, festivals and fairs. The National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians sets a compendium of safety measures for animal venue operators to follow, but the health of children who touch animals, feed animals or even touch railings or enclosures comes down to handwashing and vigilance supported by the operators. In Minnesota, where state officials have investigated two sizable outbreaks of toxic E. coli infections at petting zoons in the past two years, the state Department of Health has published a Prevention Fact Sheet. It emphasizes two … [Read more...]
MN E. coli Lawyer Asks if Dehn’s Pumpkins Had Prevention Plan
E. coli HUS outbreak investigators in Minnesota are delving into the operational history at Dehn's Pumpkins to determine what prevention plans were in place to combat the well-known risk of child E. coli infections from dangerous bacteria in petting zoo settings. One of the active observers of the Dehn's outbreak is HUS attorney Fred Pritzker, whose Minneapolis-based law firm is preparing to represent victims in the area around Dayton, Minnesota. Two epidemiologists from the state health department, Carrie Klumb and Joni Scheftel, said three children have been confirmed to have matching infections of E. coli O157:H7 and one of those case patients remains hospitalized with kidney failure and HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome. Two additional illnesses are being evaluated as possible E. … [Read more...]
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome from E. coli O157 Infection Hits 3 in Massachusetts, Wellesley Grocery Store Connection Rumored
Three people in Massachusetts have been hospitalized with hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a form of kidney failure that can lead to stroke, heart attack, pancreatitits and other serious health problems. All three of these cases of HUS were caused by the same strain of E. coli O157:H7 bacteria. This means that the 3 HUS victims first contracted E. coli O157 infections, most likely from contaminated food, and then developed HUS, according to Fred Pritzker, a nationally known E. coli lawyer. "Rumors have been circulating that the cause of the illnesses has been linked to a local supermarket. At this point, no local supermarkets are a focus of the investigation," according to the Wellesley Health Department (WDH). If a grocery store is involved in the outbreak, the E. coli-HUS victims and … [Read more...]
Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS)
The E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak linked to raw milk produced by Foundation Farm in Oregon has sickened at least 19 people. Fifteen of those victims are children; four of those children have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome. According to the FDA's Bad Bug Book, it can take just 10 cells of E. coli bacteria to make someone sick. Dr. Heidi Kassenborg of the Minnesota Department of Health told us that bacteria aren't evenly distributed in milk fluids, so milk samples withdrawn for testing may not contain any bacteria, when there actually is bacteria in the product. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a severe complication of an infection of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli, usually E. coli O157. The toxins damage red blood cells, which creates small clots that clog the filtering system in the … [Read more...]
