Children hospitalised following outbreak of E.coli at farm
Twelve children, all under the age of ten hospitalised following outbreak of E.coli
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By Matt Hallam. |  |
Sunday, 13, Sep 2009 09:50
By Richard James.
Twelve children, all under the age of ten, have been hospitalised following an outbreak of E.coli.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has confirmed four of the children are "quite seriously ill".
The children are believed to have contracted the virus after visiting Godstone Farm in Surrey.
The owners of the farm are said to be working closely with health officials, and a statement has appeared on the farm's website declaring: "Due to an E.coli outbreak, we have closed the farm until we can make sure it is quite safe for you all to visit us."
Thirty-six cases have so far been reported but Dr Graham Bickler, regional director of the HPA in the area of the outbreak, has warned the number could rise.
The outbreak is believed to have started on August 8th and health officials first became aware of it towards the end of the month.
The bug causes diarrhoea and can in some cases lead to kidney failure; in very rare cases it can also be fatal.