Europe’s E. coli “epidemic”

As of today, 25 people have died in Germany and 500 hospitalised. The source of what is a perplexing and frightening outbreak of E. coli remains unknown. Headlines today say that five new cases in Switzerland are linked to the same strain in Germany. At first Spanish cucumbers were suspected as the culprit but tests came out negative. Bean sprouts from an organic farm in northern Germany were then considered but they too proved to be innocent. At the moment, authorities are baffled as to what the cause of the problem is.

The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control based in Stockholm announced today that at least 2,743 people have been stricken by E. coli since May 2. Health Minister Daniel Bahr reportedly said at a news conference that outbreak’s cause may never be found.

The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s disease-control agency, has reiterated that people shouldn’t eat lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and salad ingredients such as vegetable sprouts. Bahr was quoted as saying, “It’s not the time yet to sound the all-clear, but after the analysis of figures and data at the Robert Koch Institute there’s reason for justified optimism that the worst is behind us.,”

The European Union offered on Tuesday compensation to the tune of 150 million Euros which Spain rejected as insufficient to cover losses suffered by their farming communities. Today, the EU has upped the offer to 210 million Euros. As of yet, the full effect of the health scares on various food producers has not been measured so no one knows yet what the financial impact of this outbreak will be on the agricultural sector of not just Spain but other countries in Europe.

Precautions

Experts are saying that everyone must take a few simple steps to reduce the risk of infection. All fruits and vegetables should be thoroughly washed to remove any external contamination Peeling and cooking fruits and vegetables can also remove these germs.

(CNN, Montreal Gazette, VOA)

Euronews – June 8/2011

Germany signals significant fall in new E.coli cases

At last there is some upbeat news concerning Europe’s E.coli crisis. The rate of new cases of Germans contracting the deadly strain is declining significantly, according to the country’s health minister, Daniel Bahr. Centred on northern Germany, the outbreak has left more than 20 people dead. It has hit farmers across Europe, with sales plunging after salad vegetables were first blamed. EU farm ministers were unhappy at an initial offer of 150 million euros in compensation from Brussels, which has now pledged to stump up more cash

References

Wikipedia: 2011 E. coli O104:H4 outbreak

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2011_E._coli_O104:H4_outbreak

A currently ongoing Escherichia coli O104:H4 bacterial outbreak began in Germany in May 2011.

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