E.coli infections rise 174% this year

The number of people infected by a bug that causes anything from mild tummy upset to kidney failure has jumped dramatically this year, according to the latest disease surveillance report.

Public health officials have recorded a 174% rise in the rate of Verotoxigenic e.coli (VTEC) infection, which can cause severe bloody diarrhoea and stomach cramps. The implications for young children and the elderly are even more serious — a weak immune system can give rise to a complication called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. This happens in up to 10% of child cases.

Paul McKeown, a consultant in public health medicine, described the statistic as “worrying” but said doctors here were quick to react, and there hadn’t been any child deaths as a result of HUS for a number of years. HUS is the principal cause of acute kidney failure in children, and the majority of cases are caused by e.coli O157.