Victorian petting zoo visit linked to child's death from HUS

A three-year-old girl has died in a Melbourne hospital after contracting haemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a rare and potentially fatal condition. Her family believes the infection was triggered by a visit to the Rain, Hayne and Shine Children’s Farm in Balnarring, where she interacted with animals.

Another child, a son of a woman named Brooke Snooks, also contracted HUS following a visit to the same farm. While he survived, he suffered kidney failure. The farm owner, Ian Hayne, stated that the facility has since complied with health department requests and installed new handwashing stations, though authorities noted that HUS can be contracted in various ways and cannot definitively link the cases to the farm.

HUS is often caused by E. coli bacteria found in the gut of farm animals, which can release toxins that damage blood vessels, kidneys, and other organs. Children under five are considered at the highest risk.