Food poisoning in Aisne: three new cases reported this Sunday, 17 children now affected

None of the three new cases detected developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which has so far affected eight children, including a 12-year-old girl who died on Monday. Of these 17 young patients, four have been able to leave the hospital and return home. However, all are undergoing "continuous medical monitoring," the prefecture said.

Samples are being taken from the butcher's aisles of two supermarkets in the Saint-Quentin metropolitan area, one more than the prefecture's previous update on Saturday evening. The prefecture had already announced on Friday the precautionary closure of four butcher shops in Saint-Quentin, where samples were also taken. Initial test results should be available early next week.

Suspected meat

The decision to suspend these butcher shops "was taken on the basis of investigations conducted into the consumption of each of the poisoned people," the prefecture explained, stressing that "at this stage, the most likely cause of contamination is the consumption of meat." "Since the origin of the meat is not yet known, it is necessary to take into consideration all the places where one or more contaminated people consumed meat," the prefecture explained.