EHEC infection detected in two children

31.10.2012

In Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, two children have contracted EHEC. According to data from the State Office for Health and Social Affairs in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, a two-year-old boy and an eleven-year-old girl in Northwestern Mecklenburg have been infected with EHEC pathogens „North German Broadcasting“ (NDR).

After the EHEC epidemic last year, in which, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) about 4,000 EHEC infections and 53 deaths were recorded, the authorities are sensitized to the occurrence of enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). According to the State Health Office, however, spread of the infections is currently not to be feared in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

Several kindergarten children show diarrhea
The eleven-year-old student from Wismar was diagnosed with the EHEC infection shortly after returning home from an Egypt holiday. The authorities therefore assume that the patient has already been infected with the pathogens on vacation. The situation is different with the two-year-old boy from the district of Nordwestmecklenburg. This visited a daycare in the community Neukloster. Several children of his Kita group had also had diarrheal diseases in recent days, according to the announcement of the district administration Nordwestmecklenburg. These diseases may also be related to the intestinal bacteria. The boy's infection was reported last Thursday and officially confirmed on Tuesday. As a result, comprehensive disinfection measures were carried out at the Kita's premises, but the facility was not closed.

EHEC infections may be life-threatening
EHEC pathogens occur in many different variants that are not all equally dangerous to the human organism. Many EHEC pathogens merely cause harmless EHEC symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting. Others, however, can increasingly cause the so-called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which can cause significant kidney damage and can be life-threatening for patients. The two children from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, however, have so far not come to the outbreak of HUS, so that the authorities see no special health risk here. However, the first director of the State Office for Health in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Heiko Will, did not provide any specific information on the health status of the children.

4,000 infections in the course of the EHEC epidemic in 2011
During the EHEC infection wave, thousands of people fell ill with the pathogens of the genus O104: H4, which have not previously been found in Germany. Infections were particularly severe and more than 800 patients suffered hemolytic uremic syndrome. The pathogens were able to spread through Egyptian fenugreek seeds that were sprouts on a farm in the district of Uelzen and sold especially in northern Germany. After the source of infection was identified, the number of new infections quickly dropped and the authorities announced the end of the EHEC epidemic. The dangerous intestinal germ is still present in our environment, so that in the opinion of the experts with a few re-emergencies is expected. (Fp)

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