Girl, 17, fighting for life in hospital after ‘contracting E. coli infection at Christmas market’

A TEENAGE girl is fighting for life in hospital after contracting E. coli at a Christmas market.

Antonia, 17, has been in intensive care for the last two weeks with suspected STEC-HUS, caused by E. coli O157.

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The bacterial infection causes severe stomach pain, bloody diarrhoea and a fever.

In serious cases, it can result in kidney failure and require urgent medical treatment.

Antonia, from Buckinghamshire, is believed to have eaten food contaminated with the bug at a festive event in Great Missenden.

She has allegedly had several operations, including one to remove part of her bowel, dialysis for kidney failure, and a blood transfusion.

Her older sister Jemima Hay said she was “lucky to be alive” and described the situation as “an absolute nightmare that has left our family broken”.

She wrote on a GoFundMe page: “[Antonia] has continued to show amazing determination and strength throughout this time, despite the immense stress, pain and trauma – all combined with an extreme phobia of injections.

“She is the youngest person to ever be admitted into the ICU ward she is currently in.

“Anybody who has met Antonia will know that she is the most kind, caring, outgoing person and lights up any room she walks into.

“Despite going through the toughest time in her life, all she has cared about is everybody else and how they are feeling, still trying to make everybody laugh.”

Antonia was allowed to spend Christmas Day at home, but returned to the ward on December 26 to continue treatment.

She remains “fighting for her life”, her dad Steve said on Facebook.

Jemima and her sister, a singer and dancer, fear that her failing kidneys will now ruin her chances of becoming an actress.

“She feels as if her dreams have been ripped away from her as her studies on her performing arts course will be severely impacted,” Jemima said.

The siblings are asking for donations towards Antonia’s future, and to cover costs while their parents are out of work.

E. coli is a type of bacteria that normally lives in your intestines.

Most forms are harmless, but a few strains can lead to severe side effects.

O157 is the most common type of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in the UK. It can be caught by:

• Eating contaminated food (e.g. undercooked meat, unpasteurised milk, or raw leafy vegetables)
• Touching infected animals or coming into contact with their faeces
• Contacting with people who have the illness
• Drinking water from inadequately treated supplies
• Swimming or playing in contaminated water (e.g. ponds or streams)

About half of all people with the infection will have bloody diarrhoea, but others may also experience stomach cramps and a fever, according to the NHS.

People usually notice symptoms three to four days after being infected, and they can last up to two weeks.

“A small number of people” go on to develop a serious condition called haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), which can sometimes result in kidney failure and death.

Children under the age of five are most at risk.

At least 30 people have fallen ill in an E. coli outbreak linked to artisan cheeses, many sold in Christmas hampers.

Four Mrs Kirkham Lancashire Cheeses were pulled from shelves on Christmas Eve, and another, sold in Waitrose, was recalled days later over fears they are contaminated with STEC.

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