French Butcher Shops Shut After Child Dies From Rare Meat-Linked Illness

Authorities in northern France have ordered the closure of two butcher shops in Saint-Quentin after a 12-year-old child died and several others were hospitalised with a rare illness suspected to be caused by contaminated meat.

Eight children, aged between one and 12, from the town and nearby areas were hospitalised over the past week with severe diarrhoea. Five of them developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a rare and life-threatening complication that can lead to acute kidney failure. One of the affected children later died.

Investigators revealed that most of the children had consumed meat products from the two now-shuttered shops, prompting urgent public health action.

HUS primarily affects children and is usually triggered by an intestinal infection. It can lead to blood clots that damage vital organs such as the kidneys, heart, and brain. France typically records up to 165 cases of HUS in children annually.

Officials have urged residents to avoid eating meat purchased from the implicated butcheries until ongoing laboratory tests determine the exact source of the infection.