10-year-old boy sickened by E. coli infection

CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) – A 10-year-old boy is recovering in a local hospital room Wednesday night after he was sickened with E. coli nearly two weeks ago.

Two Saturdays ago, 10-year-old Luca Wood came down with diarrhea.

A week later, while the Riverside boy was visiting his dad in Carlsbad, he developed a fever and other symptoms.

“He had vomited and told me that his urine was brown,” said Miles Wood, Luca’s father.

Wood says a trip to the ER revealed a stunning diagnosis: an E. coli infection. Luca was transferred to Rady Children’s Hospital.

“Super scary. Super scary,” said Wood.

This particular strain of bacteria had caused Luca’s kidneys to fail.

“He was turning yellow, and his eyes were yellow. It seemed to be critical. Seemed to me, a dire situation,” said Wood.

Luca was placed on dialysis and received four blood transfusions.

“It’s definitely been hard. I don’t want to see my son hurting, in any pain,” said Wood.

Then last Thursday, Luca started to improve. He was transferred out of the ICU.

“Over the weekend, he was smiling. Not cracking jokes, but laughing,” said Wood.

As Luca heals, an investigation is underway into the source of the E. coli. Recently, Wood says he got a call from San Diego County health officials.

“They asked me so many questions, specifically what he ate,” said Wood.

Wood says he was asked about the week before he got sick: meals prepared at home and ordered from restaurants, and the salad bar at his Riverside school.

Wood was also questioned about everything from sips at water fountains to boogie boarding in the ocean.

“It’s just crazy how easily you can get it,” said Wood.

In this case, it turned into a life-threatening battle that his son survived.

“The doctors are optimistic he’ll make a full recovery,” said Wood.

A county spokesperson says they don’t comment on individual investigations, but added there is no outbreak.

A GoFundMe campaign has been started to help the family with medical and other expenses.

Dr. Shweta Warner from Kaiser Permanente issued the following statement regarding E. coli infections:

“Most cases of E. coli  infections are mild and do not cause a serious health risk. Cases usually resolve on their own with rest and drinking plenty of fluids. However, some strains can cause severe symptoms and even life-threatening complications, such as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, which can lead to kidney failure and in rare cases, death.”

“Some people, especially children aged five and under, who become infected with a STEC infection (the O157:H7 strain) develop a condition called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). In this condition, toxins in your intestines from STEC cause diarrhea, travel into your bloodstream, destroy red blood cells and damage your kidneys.”

“HUS, if it develops, occurs an average of 7 days after your first symptoms occur. It is treated with IV fluids, blood transfusions and dialysis for a short period of time.”

Kaiser Permanente provided more information about E. coli and hemolytic uremic syndrome, which you can review below:

Background:
Early symptoms of HUS include:

• Diarrhea (usually bloody). 
• Fever. 
• Stomach pain. 
• Vomiting. 

As disease progresses, symptoms include:

• Decreased urination, blood in urine. 
• Feeling tired. 
• Pale-looking skin. 
• Easy bruising. 
• Fast heart rate. 
• Lightheadedness. 
• Sleepiness, confusion, seizures. 
• Kidney failure. 

“The most important thing you can do to protect against E. coli infection is to wash your hands – frequently. Always wash your hands thoroughly before and after cooking and after handling raw meat or poultry. Wash your hands after using the restroom, changing diapers or after contact with animals.”

You can also reduce your risk of an E. coli infection by following these food preparation and cooking tips.

When thawing meats:

• Don’t defrost frozen meat unwrapped on the counter.
• Keep frozen meat in a separate plastic bag (for example, a plastic grocery bag) when thawing.

When prepping foods:

• Don’t rinse meat before cooking. It’s not necessary. Washing the meat could spread bacterial to nearby surfaces, utensils and other food.
• Use a plastic or ceramic cutting board to cut raw meat. These materials can be cleaned more easily and thoroughly than wooden cutting boards.
• Don’t “cross-contaminate” a prepping surface. If you had raw meat or chicken on a prepping surface, such as a cutting board, wash it thoroughly with soap and hot water before putting another type of food (such as a raw vegetable) on it. Better yet, use different cutting boards for the foods you are preparing.
• Rinse all raw fruits and vegetables under cold running water before eating them. It’s ok to scrub firm produce but don’t use detergent or soap.

When cooking and serving meats:

• Cook all meat well (undercooked meat is another source of E. coli contamination). Cooking foods well kills bacteria.
• Use a food thermometer when cooking meat, and cook all meat and other foods to the safe temperatures recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture (see references for link).
• Don’t put a cooked hamburger on a plate that had raw ground beef or any other raw meat on it.
• Refrigerate leftovers right away.