Overview

• Institut Pasteur confirmed on July 2 that bacterially contaminated meat distributed through five Saint-Quentin butcher shops triggered the severe June outbreak.
• The outbreak has sickened 29 children and one retiree, with ten pediatric patients developing hemolytic-uremic syndrome that led to the death of a 12-year-old girl.
• All five implicated shops have been closed by prefectural order, and laboratory findings have been forwarded to the Paris public prosecutor’s office to identify those responsible.
• Local authorities set up a crisis hotline for guidance on meat disposal and urged families to call emergency services if children experience severe diarrhea.
• Health officials have advised residents to discard any frozen meat from the affected shops and thoroughly sanitize their refrigerators to prevent further cases.