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The parents of a three year old girl
who was seriously ill after an E.coli outbreak, have spoken of their
relief that she has started to recover.
Abigail Hennessey was on kidney dialysis
in hospital after falling ill last week.
Karen Morrisroe-Clutton, 32, remains
in a serious condition at Wrexham Maelor Hospital.
The investigation into the outbreak,
which may be linked to a Wrexham fish and chip shop, is continuing.
The Llay Fish Bar in Llay, Wrexham
has been closed until further notice, while a potential link is
investigated.
Jeff and Sarah
Hennessey, from Wrexham, said Abigail was seen by the family doctor a
number of times after becoming unwell with stomach pains on 19 July.
But her condition deteriorated and
she was eventually referred to Wrexham Maelor hospital before being
transferred immediately to Alder Hey in Liverpool on 27 July.
She tested positive for E.coli and
was placed on dialysis.
"We are very relieved that
Abigail is beginning to recover, is off dialysis and is eating and
drinking quite well," her parents said in a statement released by
the hospital.
"We would like to thank Dr Judd,
Dr Jones and all the staff on ward C3 for their excellent care of Abigail
during her time at Alder Hey."
Abigail's consultant
paediatric nephrologist Dr Caroline Jones added: "Abigail was
diagnosed with haemolytic uraemic syndrome secondary to the E.coli
infection and which required dialysis for five days.
"She now appears to be making a
recovery and her renal function is improving and she no longer requires
dialysis. She is feeling much better, is eating well and her energy is
returning."
Mrs Hennessey also tested positive
for E.coli but without the severity of Abigail's condition.
'Wants to help'
In a statement, the hospital said
both mother and daughter ate at the outlet in Wrexham "but cannot be
sure that they picked up the infection there and are unwilling to
speculate".
Meanwhile, Mrs Morrisroe-Clutton's
mother has criticised Wrexham council after its inspection a year ago of
the Llay Fish Bar found poor hygiene conditions.
The inspection also found major
non-compliance with food legislation and the authority gave its lowest
possible star rating of zero stars.
Environmental health inspectors then
said they found a shortage of cleaning materials only last week in an inspection
ahead of seeking closure of the premises.
Pierre Bartlett, the solicitor for
Ramazan Aslan, the owner of the fish bar, said his client was
co-operating fully with the investigation and his thoughts were with the
families of those who are ill.
He said: "He wants to help them
as much as he can. Anyone in the catering industry in the same position
would want to help the authorities to do their job."
The National Public Health Service
said no new cases of E.Coli have been reported in Wrexham.
A spokeswoman added that a laboratory
test to identify the strains involved and identify the source of the
outbreak is ongoing, but it could take up to four or five days before the
results are known.
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