9 sick with HUS; E. coli O26 outbreak in Italy

There have been several reported cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome in patients who reside in or traveled to the Italian region of Apulia.

The Italian Ministry of Health reports that between 1 and 14 Aug 2013, 8 children and an adult patient were hospitalized after apuliadeveloping HUS.

A food vehicle has not been identified. Regional authorities are enhancing their epidemiological surveillance on local gastroenteritis activity, while the ISS sent an alert message to all Italian pediatric kidney diseases departments, through the SNIP, for early detection of other cases in the various regions, possibly linked to the Apulia outbreak.