Indiana Child Sickened With E. coli HUS
Our law firm represents children throughout the United States that have contracted E. coli infections in E. coli outbreaks. In the video below, Attorney Elliot Olsen discusses the legal rights of a child with E. coli HUS. To contact our law firm, please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll free) or submit our online form for a free consultation.
The video may take a few seconds to load. While you are waiting, there is information about an Indiana E. coli outbreak associated with animal exhibits at a county fair. Sadly, one of the children sickened in the outbreak developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a severe illness that can cause kidney failure, brain damage, heart failure, blindness and death.
Child Sickened with E. coli HUS in Indiana E. coli Outbreak
A 4-year-old girl who showed her first symptoms of an E. coli infection one day after attending animal exhibits at the Rush County Indiana Fair has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and remains at Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis.
No confirmed link has been proven between the animal exhibits at the county fair and the girl’s severe illness, but a spokesman for the Indiana State Department of Health went on television to remind families about the risk of E. coli O157:H7 infection at events were live farm animals are on display.
24 Hour News8 TV interviewed the mother of the toddler, who is receiving regular treatments of kidney dialysis to fight her HUS. The toddler’s mother said her daughter used hand sanitizer at the fair, but it’s possible the little girl ingested bacteria from under her fingernails because she has a habit like many toddlers of chewing on her fingers.
When managers of any event encourage or permit public contact with animals, there is a well known risk of E. coli O157:H7 infection and one of every 10 to 15 infections lead to HUS. For children under 5, the risk of HUS is highest.
With the risk, there are equally well known measures that should be in place to prevent such infections.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Association of State Public Health Veterinarians, Inc. (NASPHV) published a compendium of such measures about five years ago. It is import for even holders to implement the measures.
Law firm Pritzker Olsen has represented individuals who contracted E. coli from livestock shows, petting zoos and animal fairs. Our experience has been that safety gaps often exist when children or others fall ill.
Escherichia coli O157:H7 is a rare variety of E. coli that produces a toxin that causes severe damage to the lining of the intestine. Specifically, the acute disease caused by E. coli O157:H7 is hemorrhagic colitis. E. coli O157:H7 can also result in hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), the leading cause of kidney failure in children in the United States.
The effects of HUS can be long-lasting and expensive to combat. In some cases, patients who initially survive their renal failure may require kidney transplants in the future. In addition, HUS can cause damage elsewhere in the body, including the heart, central nervous system and brain.
For answers to legal questions about E. coli and HUS, call Pritzker Olsen at 1-888-377-8900 (Toll Free) or complete the contact form on the side of this Web page.
Tags: E. coli HUS, HUS Litigation
