Authorities in northern France have shut two butcher’s shops after several children were hospitalised and one died from a rare illness thought to be linked to infected meat products.

Investigators found that most of the children had eaten meat from the shops in Saint-Quentin, the prefecture announced on Friday.

The children aged between one and 12, eight children from the town of 53,000 inhabitants and surrounding area were hospitalised in the past week with severe diarrhoea.

Five developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a rare form of acute kidney failure, from which a 12-year-old child has died.

HUS usually occurs in children as a result of an intestinal infection, it leads to the formation of blood clots that block the brain, heart and kidneys in particular.

Up to 165 cases of children with HUS syndrome are documented in France each year.

The authorities urged residents not to consume meat products bought in the closed shops until laboratory tests have proven the cause of the illness beyond doubt. (dpa/NAN)