One death and six hospitalizations of children in Aisne: hemolytic uremic syndrome the cause

What is hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)?

Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is an infectious disease most often caused by food. In most cases, it is a complication of Escherichia coli (E. coli) poisoning. Naturally present in the body, some E. coli produce Shiga toxins (STEC). While not all STEC are pathogenic to humans, certain strains known as enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) are responsible for serious human infections.

What are the symptoms?

The infection manifests itself through diarrhea, often accompanied by blood, abdominal pain, and sometimes vomiting, which can progress, after about a week, to a severe form of the infection in 5 to 8% of cases. Small blood clots form in the body, which prevents blood from circulating properly. This causes damage to different parts of the body, particularly the kidneys. HUS is characterized in particular by acute renal failure. Patients, most often children, show signs of extreme fatigue, pallor, decreased urine that becomes darker, and sometimes seizures.

Patients must be hospitalized quickly and receive appropriate treatment, sometimes including blood transfusions or dialysis.

HUS is higher at the extremes of life, particularly in young children under 5. It is the leading cause of acute renal failure in children.

What precautions should be taken?

The ARS of Hauts-de-France recommends taking the following precautions to avoid any risk of food poisoning.

Hand washing should be systematic before preparing meals; children under 5 years old should not consume products made from raw milk; vegetables, fruits and aromatic herbs should be washed thoroughly, especially when eaten raw; raw foods should be kept separately from cooked or ready-to-eat foods; cooked dishes and leftover food should be quickly put in the refrigerator and sufficiently reheated and consumed quickly; kitchen utensils (especially when they have previously been in contact with raw foods), as well as work surfaces, should be thoroughly washed; children should not drink untreated water (well water, stream water, etc.) and avoid swallowing it when swimming (lake, pond, etc.); meat should be cooked thoroughly.

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