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‘My tummy hurts’: how boy, 3, was was hit by E.coli
Felix Allen15 Sep 2009
The mother of a three-year-old boy struck down with kidney failure after contracting E.coli from a children's petting farm said today it was “every mother's worst nightmare”.
Alfie Weaver is seriously ill in hospital after the dangerous bacterial infection ravaged his organs and he has needed two blood transfusions.
Family pictures show the previously healthy toddler happily feeding sheep and stroking a rabbit at the Godstone Farm and Playbarn in Surrey, the source of an outbreak that has so far hit at least 36 visitors.
He visited the farm with his six-year-old sister after officials had already linked it to several reported cases of the potentially fatal O157 strain of E.coli, but allowed the attraction to stay open for another two weeks.
Today Alfie's mother said she was not warned of the danger to her son and was “disgusted” that health chiefs had not quarantined the farm as soon as the outbreak was discovered.
Gemma Weaver, 24, said: “The kids were as happy as anything. But a few days later Alfie said, my tummy hurts'.
“He grew desperately ill and started passing blood. I was terrified.
“It's every mother's worst nightmare.”
Mrs Weaver, from Reigate, and husband Chris, 26, a council worker, have kept a daily vigil by his bedside in an isolation unit at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.
She said: “As the E.coli kicked in he spent four days in total agony, screaming out with pain.
“He was given fluids through a tube and barely moved in the bed except to cry out in pain.
“No child should ever have to suffer like this. This farm should have been shut down earlier in August if kids tested positive for the bug by then.”
The pictures were taken on one of half a dozen previous visits to Godstone, where children are encouraged to touch animals including calves, goats, chickens and llamas.
On the family's latest visit, Mrs Weaver said she was not told there had been an E.coli outbreak.
She told the Sun: “I am disgusted. We deserve answers from the Health Protection Agency.”
A total of 12 infected children are being treated in hospital, including two-year-old twins Aaron and Todd Mock, from Tonbridge in Kent, who are on dialysis at St Thomas's Evelina Children's Hospital.
HPA officials admitted for the first time they were “possibly” wrong to advise the farm's owners it was safe for families to visit.
It was not closed until Saturday. It is feared up to 50,000 adults and children could have been exposed to the bacteria since August 8.
Farm owner Jackie Flaherty, 70, confessed last night: “I wish we'd closed sooner.”
She said: “We have always followed the advice given by the health authorities.
“I was horrified when we learned we had E.coli on the site and have felt steadily worse as the number of cases increased.
“It awful for the poor children and the families affected. All we can do now is cooperate with the authorities and pinpoint the source of the problem.”
Reader views (2)
Having been a regular vistor to Godstone was disappointed on previous news stories that the Farm hadn't taken the decision to close sooner.
However having read above "HPA officials admitted for the first time they were “possibly” wrong to advise the farm's owners it was safe for families to visit" more blame should be apportioned to health officials.
When going to a farm and handling or coming into close contact with animals, it is common sense to wash hands and keep a close eye on cleanliness etc however my own experience is that not all parents are so insistent on such measures so it is not entirely surprising that instances like this can happen.
- Sara Ancill, Dartford, Kent, 15/09/2009 09:45
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i would feel sorry for the mum but i fail to see how people can be blamed for this, E.coli is bacterium, most of the time its a "good" bacterium that lives happily in your intestines. its part of nature. in the past it managed to mutate into a "bad" bacterium, the only one to blame for this is god, he should have spent a bit more time fortifying E.coli's DNA againts mutation, then again, he only had 7 days...
- Markuss, kent, UK, 15/09/2009 09:37
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