A three-year-old girl, Ivy Foster, has been hospitalized with a serious E.coli infection contracted while paddleboarding in Christchurch Harbour, Dorset. The incident occurred in August when dirty seawater entered her body through an open wound on her foot.
Ivy's mother, Kimberley, noticed an "appalling smell" from the water as the tide went out and removed her daughter. A few days later, Ivy became unwell and was taken to Poole Hospital, where doctors confirmed she had contracted E.coli. Since August, Ivy has been admitted to the hospital three times due to fluctuating health.
She has experienced vomiting, abdominal pain, and high temperatures, and at one point her family feared for her life. The infection has spread to Ivy's right kidney, resulting in an extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) infection, which is resistant to antibiotics. Due to the risk of the infection spreading to her lungs or bloodstream, Ivy is being kept in isolation for infection control.
"She is so frightened. Every time someone walks in the room in blue she screams because she thinks it means pain," said Ivy's aunt, Sophie Piper. "She's not eating properly and needs the IV fluids to keep her hydrated. When her temperature is up she's really unwell."
Christchurch Harbour is known locally as the "toilet bowl of Bournemouth" due to runoff from the Rivers Stour and Avon. The River Stour flows past agricultural land with cattle, construction sites, and sewage treatment plants. The harbour's narrow opening limits the flow of pollutants out to sea before the tide turns.
In a separate incident near the harbour entrance, another child was hospitalized with campylobacter infection after swimming at Avon Beach.
The Environment Agency stated that recent sampling indicated E. coli levels in Christchurch Harbour were within the expected range, and they have not identified a specific pollution source after investigating water company discharges and other potential origins.
A spokesperson for Wessex Water confirmed that high E. coli readings were not related to their company's operations.
A fundraising page has been set up to support Ivy's family, having raised £2,700 so far.