Indiana, Utah residents fight E. coli infections

E. coli In September, an E. coli outbreak among students at Galena Elementary School perplexed health officials.  Several children became ill with E. coli and a source of the outbreak was elusive.  The sibling of two students at Galena Elementary battled an E. coli infection during the outbreak, and continues to recover after being on dialysis.  His mother has been hospitalized since she became ill with E. coli over 52 days ago. 

WAVE3 TV out of St. Louis, Missouri, reported the story of Amelia Seraiah's E. coli illness and hospitalization last night:
A Floyd County woman watched her son battle a deadly strain of E. coli back in September. Now she's hospitalized with the same illness. But her health isn't the only problem the single mother of five is facing.

It was 52 days ago -- on September 30th -- when Amelia Seraiah came down with the deadly bacteria. Her children are now staying with family members, who say they just pray she makes a full recovery.

Sharon Peltier has a lot to be thankful for this week. Her 3-year-old grandson, William, is off dialysis and doing better. He spent 17 days last month in Kosair Children's Hospital. Now Peltier's daughter (William's mother) is in Norton Hospital, fighting the same illness: E. coli.
Amelia isn't the only person battling an E. coli infection who will spend Thanksgiving in the hospital.  7-year-old Jayden Moss, of Willard, Utah, is expected to remain hospitalized until February.  He became ill with an E. coli infection earlier this fall and has suffered brain damage due to neurological involvement of HUS.  According to KSL.com:
Jayden is now at the learning level of an infant after developing Hemalitic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) from E. coli.

"He started throwing up and diarrhea," his mother, Rachael, said.

It eventually shut down his kidneys, and blood vessels in his body began bursting, causing severe brain damage. "Right now he doesn't walk, doesn't talk, he doesn't eat on his own, he's fed by a machine," Jayden's father, Jeremiah, explained.
According to the KSL story, Jayden's first-grade classmates have raised $6,500 to help his family pay their medical bills.
Trackbacks (0) Links to blogs that reference this article Trackback URL
http://www.ecoliblog.com/admin/trackback/51938
Comments (2) Read through and enter the discussion with the form at the end
sandrel Nicholson - December 6, 2007 10:39 AM

My dad has been place on diaysle for kidney due to drinking pepsi and coke what can i do I have heard this lawsuit on the News please help anyone that knows info that will help me please thanks my dad really need help fast sandrel kelly nicholson

Sara Kuhl - January 26, 2009 7:50 AM

We recently lost my mother due to what is suspected to be complications of an e coli infection. We were told it was her endogenous e coli getting out of her GI tract. She had been having diarrhea for at least 2 months on and off, but she had always had such a irritable bowel, even the family doc didn't suspect e coli. She was also diabetic, had heart disease, and was currently in stage 3 kidney failure. Then one day, Dad woke to her breathing oddly, and her mouth and nose were very bloody, and she was running a temp 100.5. She was taken to the hosp and put on dialysis, numerous IV's and antibiotics, and a respirator because there was fluid on her lungs and she was in CHF. But after 5 days and no change, her liver failed, her GI tract failed, and the doctor said there wasn't anything else they could do.

How did this happen? Could it have been endogenous e coli? Was there another way to treat it? Could we have known sooner?

Post A Comment / Question Use this form to add a comment to this entry.







Remember personal info?
Send To A Friend Use this form to send this entry to a friend via email.