The National Health Service in the United Kingdom does not yet know the source of an infection of E. coli O157:H7 that resulted in the death of an 8-year-old Scottish girl. The deceased Rachel Shaw recently returned from visiting her father, 34-year old Adam Shaw in the United States, where she may have contracted the E. coli infection, according to reports in the Scottish Daily Record. The young girl died at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Glasgow. She was from East Ayrshire. While the source of the infection remains unknown, the health board does not believe it is part of any larger outbreak.
“Our thoughts are with the family during this very difficult time, said Dr. Jane Cooper, consultant in public health medicine. “E. coli O157 infection is very easily picked up and sometimes investigations cannot identify either a particular source, or any way in which the risk of infection could have been avoided.” In the Scottish village of Dalrymple, Ayrshire, the girl is survived by her mother Louise, 37, sister Abby, 11, and brother Daniel, 6. While Rachel may have been infected during her U.S. visit, Scotland has been experiencing an uptick in E. coli O157:H7 cases beginning in 2011 that may be continuing this year. In July, it experienced at least three cases of O157 infections among people who participated in a physical endurance competition. About 6,000 from throughout Europe participated in that assault course style event that included immersion or at least contact with mud.
