Three-year-old girl dead, brother critical after pair visit petting zoo
A three-year-old girl has died and her older brother is fighting for life, with the pair contracting E. coli after visiting a petting zoo.
Siblings Kade and Kallan Maresh went into acute kidney failure on June 9 after contracting the bacterial infection, which led to hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
Parents Joe and Tyffani Maresh, from Minnesota in the US, have told of their heartbreak after Kallan died last week, and five-year-old Kade remains critically ill in hospital.
An investigation is still underway to determine the cause of the aggressive infection, however initial reports speculated it could have come from a petting zoo the children visited recently, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
The animals the children came in contact with have been reportedly taken off display as a precaution.
Distraight parents Joseph and Tyffani Maresh said toxins from the infection attacked their little girl’s kidneys and brain.
“Our sweet, sweet little girl lost the battle… Kade is still fighting. Kallan would have turned 4 next month,” the family wrote on a crowd sourcing page.
“We were able to give Kallan a bath and put her favorite jammies on her,” her parents wrote in a journal entry on Sunday.
“We got to hold her free of tubes and snuggle and kiss her. She is the most amazing little girl in the world. Our hearts are aching with the deepest sadness.”
Kade has had blood transfusions and remains on kidney dialysis. His parents are hopeful the toxins stay away from his brain and other vital organs.
It is believed no other similar cases of infection have been reported so far, after coming into contact from the zoo animals.
Health officials have told local media the children could have been infected from any number of other sources, which are being investigated.
E. coli can also be found in contaminated meat or produce, or swimming pools or lakes polluted with feces.
Kade’s parents said he perked up after a special visit from some of his closest friends and family yesterday.
“It was so fun to see him smile and be so talkative. We have not got to see that in a long time,” they wrote.
