Jasper County HUS E. coli Death
An HUS E. coli death in Jasper County, Missouri, is under investigation by public health officials who say the victim was one of 11 people who fell sick at a family gathering over Thanksgiving weekened.
The Jasper County Health Department has collected leftover food from the family event as part of the effort to determine the cause of the E. coli outbreak. Health Department Director Tony Moehr told reporter John Hacker of the Carthage Press that he believes the outbreak is isolated to those exposed at the family event. Names of the victims, including the HUS E. coli patient who died, have not been released out of respect for the family's privacy.
HUS, or hemolytic uremic syndrome, is a life-threatening condition in which the body’s blood-clotting mechanisms are altered, causing blocked circulation or bleeding in the brain or kidneys. Kidney failure is a common result. Once an infection has been established, no therapeutic interventions are available to lessen the risk of the course that HUS will take. Across the United States, HUS E. coli kills about 80 people a year.
