THE ESSENTIAL
- Each year, between 100 and 165 children with haemolytic uraemic syndrome are notified to Public Health France.
- A surveillance system for this disease has been in place since 1996.
The General Directorate of Health has launched a health investigation following the worrying increase in the number of cases of haemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) in children since the beginning of February.
13 cases of HUS linked to Escherichia coli bacteria
As of February 24, 2022, 13 cases of HUS linked to Escherichia coli bacteria with similar characteristics have been identified. These cases occurred in 5 regions of metropolitan France: New Aquitaine (5 cases), Hauts-de-France (3 cases), Ile-de-France (3 cases), Brittany (1 case) and Pays de la Loire (1 case). The sick children, aged 1 to 15, presented symptoms between 01/18/2022 and 02/11/2022. One of them even died.
“Public Health France is carrying out investigations on all cases of pediatric HUS reported since January 1, 2022 (31 to date) on national territory to confirm or refute a link between these cases”, explain the experts in a press release. “This in order to identify a possible source of common contamination and put in place the appropriate measures”, they continue.
The investigations revolve around two parts:
– an epidemiological component, consisting of surveying parents on their children’s exposure to risk for this type of infection, in particular the foods consumed, and, if necessary, tracing the origin;
– a microbiological component, aimed at identifying the bacterial strain that infected each child and determining whether these strains have similar characteristics to each other.
How to guard against hemolytic uremic syndrome?
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is an infectious disease most often of food origin, rare in France, but potentially serious. This syndrome is frequently caused by a bacterium belonging to the Escherichia coli (E. coli) family, and is manifested by diarrhea often accompanied by blood, abdominal pain and sometimes vomiting which can progress, after about a week, to a severe form of the infection.
As with any food poisoning, prevention requires compliance with the following rules:
– Hand washing must be systematic before preparing meals.
– Vegetables, fruits and aromatic herbs should be carefully washed, especially when eaten raw.
– Raw foods should be kept separate from cooked or ready-to-eat foods.
– Cooked meals and leftover food should be quickly put in the refrigerator, sufficiently reheated and consumed quickly.
– Kitchen utensils (especially when they have previously been in contact with raw foods) as well as work surfaces must be thoroughly washed.
– Children should not drink untreated water (well water, torrent, etc.) and avoid swallowing it when swimming (lake, pond, etc.).