Two cases of the Shiga-E.coli (STEC) infection and one case of Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS) have been reported in children who attended the recent Royal Adelaide Show. Two of the three children - all aged between 4 and 12 years - had been in contact with farm animals at the show's animal nursery.
STEC, which can cause diarrhoea and abdominal cramping, can develop into HUS, which in turn can lead to neurological damage and kidney disease. SA Health's Paddy Phillips said one of the children infected is in hospital with HUS and is in a serious but stable condition.
Symptoms of STEC infection include simple or bloody diarrhoea, abdominal cramps but little or no fever or vomiting. The STEC bacteria is commonly found in animal faeces. Other common sources of STEC infections include contact with farm animals, eating raw, undercooked or fermented meat products and eating vegetables contaminated with animal faeces.
Professor Phillips said hand hygiene is the best method of preventing STEC after contact with animals.
"Proper refrigeration of food, especially meat, and cooking until the juices run clear are fundamental to preventing food related STEC infection," he said. The incubation period for STEC infection usually ranges from 3 to 8 days but may be longer. There have been 19 reported cases of STEC in South Australia so far in 2011, compared to a total of 32 cases in 2010.