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Two children hospitalized in Iowa with HUS

By Pritzker | Ruohonen

A 7-year-old girl from southeastern Iowa and a 5-year-old boy from neighboring Illinois have been hospitalized with complications from E. coli 0157:H7.

The two children are among four people in the area who have confirmed cases of E. coli infection. Health officials in both states have not determined the source of the illnesses.

The Hawk Eye newspaper reported Friday that the two hospitalized children have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a complication that can lead to kidney failure, stroke, seizures and death. Both children at the University of Iowa Children's Hospital have undergone kidney dialysis and received blood transfusions since being admitted during the second week of October, the newspaper reported.

The boy is from Basco, Ill., and the girl is from Mount Pleasant, Iowa. According to the newspaper, they both came down with their initial symptoms on Oct. 7.

Patricia Quinlisk, medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health, told The Hawk Eye that no business or entities have been asked to close down in association with the four confirmed cases of E. coli.

Full post as published by Food Poisoning Law Blog on October 24, 2008 (boomark / email).