— OPINION —

There is something special about watching children interact with animals at a petting zoo that touches the heart. I have very fond memories of taking my son Chris to petting zoos when he was young.  He loved touching the animals and feeding them. However, when I look at the pictures we took, it now triggers anxiety.  Little did I know my son could have become severely ill and possibly die from this seemingly innocent activity.

Deidre and Michael Hefflin have learned this lesson the hard way.  The Hefflin’s kindergartener went on a school field trip to the Appalachian Fairgrounds in Tennessee. His class visited the petting zoo.  He developed an E.coli 0157:H7 infection and then spread it to his mom and younger brothers, referred to as a secondary infection.  

The Hefflin’s 15 month old son River was in critical condition for over a month.  Five to ten percent of children who have a STEC (Shiga Toxin E.coli) infection can go on to develop a rare disease called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS). When the E.coli 0157:H7 bacteria die off, they release a toxin called the Shiga toxin.  This toxin then attacks the Gb3 ce...