A nine-year-old boy in Wuhan, China, narrowly survived after developing life-threatening complications believed to be linked to a tiramisu dessert purchased from a street food stall.
According to reports, the child began suffering from diarrhoea shortly after eating the dessert at a night market. His condition persisted for three days and was later accompanied by a high fever.
Initially, the boy’s family believed he was suffering from a common stomach illness and sought treatment at a local clinic. However, his condition rapidly worsened, with symptoms including severe abdominal swelling, intense stomach pain, reduced urine output, dehydration and bruising on the skin.
By the time he was rushed to hospital, doctors said the child was on the verge of going into shock.
Medical examinations revealed that he had developed toxic megacolon, a rare and serious condition in which the colon becomes severely inflamed and enlarged. The condition reportedly led to a perforated colon, peritonitis, sepsis and acute kidney failure.
Doctors performed a four-hour emergency surgery under general anaesthesia, which involved abdominal exploration, removal of infected tissue and partial bowel resection. Following the operation, the boy was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) for close monitoring.
Medical staff later confirmed that the child’s condition had stabilised and his vital signs were improving.
Wuhan Union Hospital anaesthesiologist Ling Ken, who highlighted the case publicly, warned that unpackaged desserts sold by unlicensed roadside vendors can become breeding grounds for harmful bacteria such as Salmonella and pathogenic E. coli.
He urged the public to exercise caution when purchasing food from street stalls, particularly products that require strict temperature control and hygiene standards.
