In Aisne, a child dies of food poisoning, six other cases recorded

A child died on Monday, June 16, in Saint-Quentin (Aisne), after severe food poisoning. Six other cases have been recorded in the same area, although the cause of the contamination could not be immediately identified, the prefecture announced on Wednesday.

The 12-year-old child died of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a "rare complication characterized in particular by acute renal failure," the Aisne prefecture wrote in a press release. "Six other children, also living in Saint-Quentin or the surrounding area, were treated in the emergency room of the Saint-Quentin hospital between June 13 and 18 for severe digestive symptoms (bloody diarrhea), three of whom had HUS," the prefecture continued.

Public Health France (SPF) and the Hauts-de-France Regional Health Agency (ARS) are conducting investigations to identify the source of the infections. Biological analyses have been launched to determine whether the bacterial strains that infected each child "have similar characteristics."

According to the initial findings of the investigation reported by the prefecture, these seven children did not eat meals together, did not all attend the same groups and their families had multiple sources of food.

A rare infectious disease, "most often food-borne," HUS occurs in most cases as a complication of poisoning by a bacterium from the Escherichia coli (E. coli) family, the press release emphasizes, calling on parents to call 15 if their child has bloody diarrhea.