A 12-year-old girl has died and seven other children have been hospitalized in a severe food poisoning outbreak near Saint-Quentin, a town south of Lille in northern France.
Symptoms began appearing on June 12 among children aged 1 to 12, who were admitted to hospitals over several days with severe digestive issues, including bloody diarrhea. Five of the children developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a rare but serious condition causing acute kidney failure, which led to the girl’s death on Monday, local authorities confirmed.
HUS is most commonly linked to E. coli bacterial infection, though the exact cause of this outbreak remains unclear. The children affected are not believed to have socialized together, and initial investigations have ruled out local tap water as a source of contamination.
Food inspectors are currently investigating whether contaminated meat products are responsible. Several butcher shops in Saint-Quentin were temporarily closed for testing, with all meat, marinades, and spices removed for analysis.
Authorities are urging parents to maintain strict hygiene practices at home, including frequent hand-washing, thorough washing of fruits and vegetables, proper cooking of meat, and preventing cross-contamination between raw and cooked foods.
The regional health authority continues biological testing to identify the bacterial strain and source of the outbreak.
Related topics:
