Boy’s Illness Linked to Outbreak of Infections Due to Tainted Meat

A local child who became ill after eating at a Jack in the Box restaurant remained hospitalized in guarded condition while health officials sought to verify infections in more than 100 Las Vegas residents who complained of sickness from tainted hamburgers.

Health inspectors said they believe tests will reveal that 10 to 15 people in the Las Vegas area are victims of the E. coli outbreak linked to contaminated meat at the fast-food chain.

Officials said 22-month-old Alex Riebe was in guarded condition Tuesday at Humana Hospital Sunrise’s pediatric intensive-care unit, where he underwent kidney dialysis.

The boy’s father, Don Riebe, said Alex ate part of a children’s hamburger from a Jack in the Box on Jan. 8 and two days later developed symptoms. The child was hospitalized last week after his kidneys failed and puzzled doctors performed a blood test.

“The doctors couldn’t believe his kidneys went down like that because he had been such a healthy boy,” Riebe said.

Riebe said his son was on kidney dialysis and that doctors hoped he would eventually regain use of his kidneys.

Lonnie Empey, a sanitation supervisor with the Clark County Health District, said the child’s illness was caused by eating a Jack in the Box hamburger.

“We have no doubt at all that was the cause,” Empey said.

Empey said three other cases of the bacterial infection in children have been confirmed, but the children appear to be recovering.