--- title: "E. coli: secret danger of playing in the countryside" date: 2005-03-17T09:46:19-08:00 author: Bill Marler canonical_url: "https://marlerclark.com/news_events/e-coli-secret-danger-of-playing-in-the-countryside" section: News --- [All News](/news_events) / [Outbreaks](https://marlerclark.com/news_events/outbreaks) / # E. coli: secret danger of playing in the countryside ![](http://www.ecoliblog.com/uk-farm-livestock.jpg)Helen Puttick, a Health Correspondent for [Hands Clean](http://www.handsclean.info/handsclean/CCC_FirstPage.jsp), did a story this week on a two-year-old boy sickened with E. coli from what was supposed to be a fun playdate on the farm. > *“… a few carefree moments exploring the countryside of East Lothian as a small child has forever changed the life of Fraser Imrie, and turned his garden into a danger zone where Fiona, his mother, is afraid to let her children play.”* Just before his third birthday, Fraser was poisoned by [E. coli O157:H7](http://www.about-ecoli.com/), which is carried by animals and spread through their droppings. Now, 10 years after the infection paralysed the toddler below the neck, the Scottish Executive has launched a campaign to raise awareness of the bacterium, and encourage visitors to the countryside to wash their hands as often as possible. From the article: > “I can still see him as he looked that day,” she said. “His eyes were sunk in his face and he could not move.” She took him to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, where he slipped into a coma and spent a month in intensive care. When she finally took Fraser home, he was a prisoner in a body which would no longer obey messages from his brain. Parents, teachers and youth groups such as guide and scout packs are the target of the awareness drive, which comes amid concern that Scotland has the highest rate of e-coli 0157 infections in the UK. Like many, Mrs Imrie, from North Berwick, was not aware of the risks posed by the micro-organism which livestock harbour without suffering themselves. Today, Fraser is an articulate 12-year-old who attends mainstream school, but he also needs round-the-clock care. He may have some learning difficulties, but it is his physical mobility which has been destroyed by E. coli. He cannot sit up unaided. Fraser has two younger siblings, Lachlan, 10, and Iona, eight. 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The team at Marler Clark is here to answer all your questions. Find out if you’re eligible for a lawsuit, what questions to ask your doctor, and more. [ Get a free consultation ](https://marlerclark.com/contact) ##### Related Resources ###### [E. coli Food Poisoning](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-food-poisoning) What is E. coli and how does it cause food poisoning? Escherichia coli (E. coli) is a highly studied, common species of bacteria that belongs to the family Enterobacteriaceae, so... ###### [E. coli O157:H7](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/e-coli-o157h7) E. coli O157:H7 is a foodborne pathogen that causes food poisoning. E. coli O157:H7 is the most commonly identified and the most notorious Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) serotype in... ###### [Non-O157 STEC](https://marlerclark.com/foodborne-illnesses/e-coli/non-o157-stec) Non-O157 Shiga Toxin-Producing E. coli can also cause food poisoning. 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