Food poisoning in Aisne: three new cases recorded, eleven in total

Three new cases of food poisoning in children have been reported in the Aisne region and its surrounding area since Thursday evening, bringing the total to 11 cases, the prefecture announced in a press release on Friday, June 20.

All of these children have suffered from severe digestive symptoms (bloody diarrhea) since June 12, according to the prefecture. Among them, six "developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), one of whom unfortunately died." The girl is a 12-year-old.

Among the three new poisoned children, one lives in the Saint-Quentin area (Aisne), where the first cases occurred, and another lives in the Marne but consumed meat from a Saint-Quentin butcher's shop whose activity has been suspended by the prefecture, the latter details.

"A final case, identified (Friday) evening, is currently under investigation," it was stated.

As a precaution and while awaiting analysis results, the prefecture is asking the population "to no longer consume food purchased from four butcher shops " in Saint-Quentin, whose names and addresses it has disclosed.

The first two butcher shops have been closed since Thursday, with the prefecture explaining on Friday morning that the sick children had "consumed meat or meat products" from these two establishments a few days before the symptoms appeared.

Since then, "investigations have been extended to new establishments in which samples were taken," the prefecture stated.

The results of the analyses of these meat samples, at least concerning the first two butcher shops, "should be known at the beginning of next week," the prefecture indicated on Friday morning.

The samples were sent to the national reference laboratory in Marcy-l'Étoile in the Rhône region, and an investigation into the traceability of the meat used was launched.

A rare infectious disease, "most often foodborne," HUS occurs in most cases as a complication of poisoning by a bacterium from the Escherichia coli (E. coli) family. It affects 100 to 165 children in France each year, according to Public Health France.