HUS E. coli in Children
Attorney Fred Pritzker 
Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) is a disease that kills red blood cells. It sometimes occurs as a complication in food poisoning cases caused by E. coli bacteria. And it disproportionately affects children. Nearly 1 in 10 children who contract E. coli food poisoning will develop HUS.
The recent outbreaks of E. coli food poisoning in Missouri and Oregon linked to raw milk consumption have sickened at least 18 people; six of them are children. And five of those children have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome.
The type of E. coli, called E. coli 0157:H7, that can lead to HUS produces a toxin called Shiga toxin. This toxin is released into the blood stream where it starts destroying red blood cells that carry oxygen to the organs and tissues in the body. White blood cells transport the toxin to the kidneys, where the damaged red blood cells and the toxin block blood vessels and structures.
In fact, HUS is one of the leading causes of acute kidney failure. The toxin can also injure the brain, pancreas, and other organs and can lead to a stroke or coma.
HUS usually develops between the 8th and 12th days of the bacterial infection, but some people develop it earlier and some later. Hemolytic uremic syndrome is much more common among children, especially those who are under the age of 5. Young children’s immune systems are still developing, making them more susceptible to infection and complications.
Contact Fred for a free consultation.Symptoms of HUS include paleness, fatigue, irritability, confusion, no or very high urine output, swelling of the eyes, face, extremities, or body, fever, rash, unexplained bruises, bloody diarrhea or blood in the urine. Patients usually spend two weeks in the hospital, receiving supportive care with fluid replacement for dehydration, red blood cell and platelet transfusions, and kidney dialysis. Antibiotics are usually not effective against E. coli 0157:H7 and may actually increase the risk of developing HUS.
While many children with HUS recover, often their kidneys lose some ability to function. A kidney that loses 40% of its functioning ability still must perform all of the tasks of a normal kidney, including blood filtering, regulating vitamin and hormone levels, and controlling blood pressure. And more than half of all children who develop HUS suffer kidney failure.
Routine kidney care must become part of regular health care routines after an HUS diagnosis. Your child’s pediatrician may recommend that she see a nephrologist, or kidney specialist. Some children lose kidney function completely and must go on dialysis or consider a kidney transplant.
Anyone injured with food poisoning has a right to full and fair compensation. Parents of children with E. coli-HUS can contact me at 1-888-377-8900 or by submitting the firm’s free consultation form.
E. coli-HUS from Foundation Farm Raw Milk Sickens Children in Portland, Oregon Area
Attorney Fred Pritzker
Just two months after I argued for more regulations on the sale of raw milk at Harvard Law School, an outbreak of E. coli O157 and hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) has hit the Portland, Oregon area that has been linked to raw milk from Foundation Farm in Clackamas County. To date, there are 5 children in Oregon with confirmed cases of E. coli O157, and three of them have HUS, a complication of an E. coli O157 infection that causes kidney failure and a host of other problems that can be fatal. I and my team of E. coli lawyers are currently representing people with E. coli-HUS who were sickened in another outbreak. We are also representing a man who is paralyzed from the neck down after drinking raw milk.
Parents can contact me for a free consultation regarding their child’s legal rights in this situation. Certainly, Foundation Farm has insurance to cover at least some of the medical expenses, other financial losses, pain and suffering compensation, and other damages. My message to parents is twofold:
- The E. coli and HUS risk with raw milk is not well known and sellers of raw milk do not warn their customers. You thought you were providing something healthy for your child because that is what you were told. This is not the time to feel guilty. Call me about this if you just want to talk, no obligation. I have handled cases like yours before.
- Even if you signed an agreement not to sue Foundation Farm, your child did not. There is no shame in suing someone who has injured your child, especially in E. coli O157 cases because they are almost always caused by poor sanitation. Your child will have medical expenses well into the future, and you and your child need help now.
Two children have contracted E. coli O157 infections that did not develop into HUS, and 4 other children and one adult are suffering from severe gastroenteritis (symptomatic of E. coli), with extreme abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea (so violent that it is scary for children) and possibly E. coli-colitis, a serious condition that may require surgery and a colostomy bag.
The cases are in Clackamas, Clark, Multnomah and Washington counties. Foundation Farm distributed to 48 households in the Portland metropolitan area that were part of a herd‐share.
Jaquith Strawberry Farm E. coli Outbreak in Oregon – Lawyers Investigating
Our E. coli lawyers are investigating an E. coli O157:H7 outbreak in Oregon associated with eating strawberries from Jaquith Strawberry Farm located in Newberg, Oregon. Jaquith sold its strawberries to buyers who then resold them at roadside stands and farmers’ markets in Multnomah, Washington, Clackamas, Yamhill and Clatsop counties.
Ten people have confirmed E. coli O157:H7 infections caused by a single strain. The E. coli victims include residents of Washington, Clatsop, and Multnomah counties. Six other people in northwest Oregon also have recently developed an E. coli O157:H7 infection and appear to be part of this outbreak.
Of the confirmed cases, four have been hospitalized. Two of those hospitalized had E. coli kidney failure, and one of them, a woman from Washington County, died. Approximately 5 percent of people infected with E. coli O157:H7, especially young children and the elderly, develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and/or thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (TTP) and suffer serious and potentially fatal E. coli kidney damage and failure.
Jaquith has recalled its products. While investigating the farm, William Keene, senior epidemiologist with Oregon Public Health, saw dear roaming through the strawberry field. Keene is having deer feces tested for E. coli to determine if deer are the source of the E. coli contamination, Keene told the Oregonian.
