PORTLAND – Two little boys were infected with the E. Coli bacteria after visiting the Oxford County Fair’s zoo. The two kids, who didn’t know each other, touched some animals and got infected. One of them, Colton Guay was 20-month’s old and died last Monday. The other, named Myles Jacob Herschaft, a 17-month-old boy is being treated at the Maine Medical Center.

Colton Guay died of complications from hemolytic uremic syndrome, caused by the E. Coli bacteria. The father of Colton stated that his little boy had severe diarrhea after the visit to the zoo, a symptom that worried him, according to CBS News.

“It is believed that he contracted it through simple interaction with farm animals at a local fair. It began with severe diarrhea and ended with massive brain seizures that ultimately took his life,” his father Jon wrote on Facebook.

Myles Jacob is in a critical condition, according to his parents. His family started a fund-raise campaign to try to save Myles, and also to raise awareness on this matter. One family member wrote this on the website of the campaign:

“He is fighting a very serious illness called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) which is a condition that results from the abnormal premature destruction of red blood cells. Once the process begins, the damaged red blood cells start to clog the filtering system in the kidneys, which has caused life-threatening kidney failure.”

This family member also stated that Myles is looking at a long hospitalization, and that his parents, Victor and Kaitlyn Herschaft are always by his side. The Herschaft are doing everything they can to help the parents get through the situation, the message on the website concludes.

Dr. Ryan, from the Maine Medical Center said “it is difficult. It is tragic to see the loss of a vibrant, obviously healthy child. I think they would do all they could to make sure people were aware of what to watch for and what to look for. It is hard to say if whether talking or telling people about it whether it would have affected the outcome unfortunately for this kid and I think the concerns are certainly raised now for families.”

According to WCSH6, doctors stated that is very difficult to spot cases of E. Coli, because many children come to them with similar symptoms. Some people complained about the lack of information provided by the doctors when the rumours of the two kids infected began. They said that they couldn’t make an official announcement until doctors had their tests done and got sure of the results.

Another fact that hasn’t been proved is whether these kids got infected in the zoo, or some place else. Researchers stated that they will investigate further to better inform the general public.

Nevertheless, the fathers of the two boys are focused on creating awareness: “My son’s story has been shared around the country,” Guay, the father of Colton, said Wednesday in a telephone interview to the Press Herald. “If Colton’s story can save just one child’s life, then he has done his job.”

Source: Press Herald