Parents in Arizona report their children contracted E. coli after interacting with animals at the Arizona State Fair's petting zoo.
A nonprofit group that works with parents of children infected with the bacteria says at least four children have been hospitalized. All four families told the group: Parker's Promise — that their children were petting a pig at a petting zoo. Eight children were hospitalized in Phoenix with infections, parents reported.
As of November 20, neither the Arizona Department of Health Services nor State Fair officials had responded to reporters' questions. Food Safety News about the outbreak. However, Maricopa County Health Executive Janine Fowler said Arizona Republic that the department is investigating the situation. The fair lasted a month in Phoenix and ended at the end of October.
Mary McGonigle-Martin reported that all four children whose parents contacted Parker's Promise have been released from a hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Other children were reportedly being treated at a hospital in Mesa, Arizona, according to McGonigle-Martin, vice president of Parker's Promise.
The organization was founded by Morgan Stein after her son Parker became ill after attending a summer agricultural camp in 2022. Parker became seriously ill and required extensive treatment in the intensive care unit. During the infection, he developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which affects the kidneys and can lead to multiple organ failure and brain damage. Parker recovered, but Stein felt obligated to provide support to other families in similar situations.
Stein, through the Parker Promise, advocates for mandatory work rules at agritourism businesses and other agricultural organizations, such as the summer camp where her son was exposed to E. coli.
McGonigle-Martin said the organization wants states to include such rules in legislative language when they approve agritourism businesses such as petting zoos. At a minimum, the organization wants laws to require such businesses and camps to have hand-washing stations and warning signs.
“Parents have no recourse as it stands,” McGonigle-Martin said. Food Safety News. “We had never even heard of HUS before our son got sick.
“The thinking processes in agriculture just don’t match reality.”
McGonigle-Martin's son was hospitalized for 56 days but made a full recovery. Many infected children experience lifelong health complications, including the need for kidney transplants.
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