As of 04/05/2022, 56 confirmed cases have been identified, of which 54 are linked to STEC O26 strains, and 2 to STEC O103 strains.
These 56 cases occurred in 55 children and 1 adult, who presented symptoms between 18/01/2022 (week 3) and 05/04/2022 (week 14) (Figure 1). The epidemic peak is in week 7 (14/02 to 20/02) and week 9 (28/02 to 06/03), with 10 cases each of these weeks.
These 56 cases occurred in 12 regions of metropolitan France: Hauts-de-France (12 cases), Ile-de-France (9 cases), New Aquitaine (8 cases), Pays de la Loire (7 cases), Brittany ( 6 cases), Grand Est (3 cases), Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (3 cases), Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (2 cases), Occitanie (2 cases), Center Val-de-Loire (2 cases) , Bourgogne Franche-Comté (1 case) and Normandy (1 case) (Figure 2).
The 55 sick children are aged from 1 to 17 years with a median age of 6 years; 25 (45%) are female; 48 (87%) presented with HUS, 7 (13%) with STEC gastroenteritis. Two children died. The adult did not present with HUS.
The authorities point out that after consuming the products concerned by the recall, it is important to quickly consult a doctor by reporting this consumption if:
- within 10 days, people have diarrhea, abdominal pain, or vomiting;
- within 15 days, people show signs of great fatigue, pallor, a decrease in the volume of urine, which becomes darker.
- In the absence of symptoms within 15 days of consumption, it is also reminded that there is no need to worry.
Given this situation, the authorities are asking people who hold Buitoni brand Fraîch’Up pizzas not to eat them and to destroy them . Each household is invited to ensure that its freezer does not contain any.
It is also recommended that people holding frozen pizzas in their freezer that have been separated from their box, and whose range and brand cannot be formally identified or clearly known, not to consume them and to destroy them.
As a precaution, the company proceeded on March 18 to withdraw and recall all pizzas from the Fraîch’Up range, Buitoni brand, marketed since June 2021. The authorities are fully mobilized to ensure the effectiveness of the withdrawal/recall measures implemented, in particular through more than 10,000 checks in the various distribution channels. Beyond the checks, if consumers find that Fraîch’Up pizzas from the Buitoni brand are still on the market, they are invited to file a report on the SignalConso platform .