Respect hygiene measures in the kitchen while waiting to learn more. A resurgence of serious cases of contamination with the bacteria Escherichia coli has caused the death of two children in France since the beginning of the year, announced on Saturday March 12 the health authorities, who have not yet identified the source of the contamination.
As of March 11, 2022, 26 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) “related to bacteria E.coli with similar characteristics have been identified” in children 1 to 15 years old, and “two children have died”, Public Health France said in a statement. The agency, which had announced the first case at the end of February, does not give further details on these deaths.
The 26 cases identified “occurred in nine regions of metropolitan France: Nouvelle-Aquitaine (6 cases), Hauts-de-France (5 cases), Ile-de-France (4 cases), Pays de la Loire (4 cases), Brittany (3 cases), Burgundy-Franche-Comté (1 cases), Grand-Est (1 cases), Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (1 cases) and Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (1 case) “and « 22 additional cases are under investigation”the statement said.
General risk prevention recommendations
Public Health France, the National Reference Center for Escherichia coli (which is part of the Institut Pasteur), the General Directorate for Food and the General Directorate for Competition, Consumer Affairs and Fraud Prevention, in coordination with the General Directorate for Health, “continue the investigations on all the cases of pediatric HUS reported since January 1, 2022 on the national territory in order to identify a possible source of common contamination and to put in place the appropriate measures”such as the withdrawal of any contaminated products, is explained in the press release.
Corn, “at this stage, the epidemiological investigation has not made it possible to incriminate a particular source of contamination”that is why “the health authorities renew the general recommendations for the prevention of food risks, in particular for children under 16”but also in the elderly.
Among these recommendations: hand washing should be systematic before meal preparation; meats, especially ground beef, should be thoroughly cooked through and raw milk, cheeses made from raw milk and dairy products made from raw milk should not be consumed by children under 5 years.
The recommendations also concern flour-based preparations (pizza/cookie dough/cake/pie, etc.), which should not be eaten raw or undercooked. Vegetables, salads, fruits, herbs must be carefully washed before consumption; kitchen utensils (especially when they have previously been in contact with raw food) and work surfaces must also be thoroughly washed.
In addition, children should not drink untreated water (well water, torrent, etc.) and the youngest (under 5 years old) should avoid contact with cows, calves, sheep, goats, deer, etc., and their environment. In the event of contact with these animals, hand washing must be systematic, recalls Public Health France.
Each year, about 160 children are affected by HUS
Finally, raw foods should be kept separate from cooked or ready-to-eat foods, and ready meals and leftover food should be quickly refrigerated, sufficiently reheated and consumed quickly.
In children, HUS is most often caused by an infection with a bacterium belonging to the family of E.coliwhich manifests between three and ten days after contamination by diarrhea often accompanied by blood, abdominal pain and sometimes vomiting, which can progress after about a week to a severe form in about 10% of cases.
Each year, approximately 160 children with HUS are reported to Public Health France, which has set up a monitoring system (pediatric nephrology services) for this disease since 1996.