Girl, 17, who caught E coli at festive market fights for life
A GIRL has been left fighting for her life after she caught a deadly strain of E.coli.
Antonia Hay, 17, is believed to have caught STEC-HUS, caused by E.coli O157, from food at a Christmas market.
The aspiring actress, has spent most of the past two weeks in intensive care, only coming home temporarily on Christmas Day.
She has had multiple operations, including to remove part of her bowel, and a blood transfusion as kidney failure has meant she requires dialysis. She feels her “dreams have been ripped away” from her because she cannot continue her performing arts course.
Jemima Hay, her older sister, said: “She is lucky to be alive and has continued to show amazing determination and strength throughout this time, despite the immense stress, pain and trauma – all combined with an extreme phobia of injections.”
While the teenager is believed to have contracted E. coli from a Christmas market in November, it is not known what sort of food led to her catching it.
She is one of 30 confirmed cases of E.coli across England and Scotland since late July 2023, with one person having died.
Most cases occurred in December, however, which sparked the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to issue a recall notice for four cheese products on Christmas Day.
The cheeses were Mrs Kirkham’s Mild and Creamy Lancashire, Mrs Kirkham’s Tasty Lancashire, Mrs Kirkham’s Mature Lancashire and Mrs Kirkham’s Smoked Lancashire, which were part of Christmas hampers.
A further notice was issued for the Waitrose artisan No 1 Kirkham’s Lancashire product, all of which are made by the same company.
Steve Hay, Antonia’s father, believes it was caught from food at a local market in Great Missenden, Bucks.
He said: “My daughter is fighting for her life after a serious bacterial infection suspected from eating something around this time and we have strong theories, but just need to know if anyone else was affected with any level of stomach issues or illness.”