A Cambridge family is asking health officials whether their 23-month-old who died from E. coli got the bacteria from tainted spinach that’s blamed for sickening more than 100 people nationwide.
Olivia Perkins became sick in early August with stomach cramps and bloody diarrhea, Harris said. After trips to local doctors, she was brought to Children’s Hospital in Columbus.
She died Aug. 22 of kidney failure and a brain hemorrhage brought on by the bacteria, said David Sloat, Olivia’s grandfather. Sloat, a pediatric nurse, said DNA testing would show whether the e-coli strain is the same seen in the spinach.
After Olivia became ill, her sister and two cousins came down with symptoms and were found to have E. coli.