There is currently no direct treatment for STEC HUS so care focuses on supporting the kidneys and keeping your child stable until the illness resolves itself. This usually happens within one or two weeks, as with normal gastroenteritis.
Children with STEC HUS are usually admitted to hospital so that their fluid and salt levels can be monitored. Your child will be looked after in a separate room to stop the infection from spreading to other children.
Your child may need to make temporary changes to what they eat and drink, with the support of a dietitian. Some children may need a temporary feeding tube into their stomach to support their nutrition.
As STEC HUS affects how well your child’s kidneys work, one in two children will need a short-term course of dialysis to temporarily take over the work of their kidneys to give them time to recover.
Some children will need a blood transfusion.
Seven out of ten children will recover completely in a few weeks and will not need any further treatment.
Three out of ten children will develop chronic kidney disease (CKD), either straight away or when they are older.
All children with STEC HUS will be followed up by their doctors to look for signs of high blood pressure or protein in their urine as adults.
STEC HUS is classed as a notifiable disease so your child’s doctor will tell the UK Health Protection Agency so that they can identify the cause of the outbreak and minimise further infection.