Deadly E.coli outbreak killing people in Europe

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E.Coli raging across Europe

A deadly E. coli outbreak in Europe, linked to tainted cucumbers and other vegetables is getting worse, report the Wall Street Journal and AP:

The toll: Sixteen people are dead (15 in Germany and one woman in Sweden who had just traveled to Germany); more than 1,000 people are sick in Germany alone, with 373 having the most serious form of E. coli. Hundreds more cases are reported throughout Europe.

The source: Germany blames cucumbers from Spain, specifically the Almeria and Malaga regions. A third batch from the Netherlands or Denmark is under investigation. Spain angrily denies being the source, and EU officials say the vegetables could have become tainted anywhere along the supply chain.
The fallout: Russia has banned some imports from Spain and Germany (and may expand it to all EU nations); Italy, Austria, and other nations have stopped short of that but are ramping up inspections at supermarkets.
The Health Protection Agency (HPA) has said that three of the seven people in Britain who have been infected by the strain of E coli sweeping Europe have developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a rare and severe kidney complication that destroys red blood cells and can affect the brain and spinal cord.

UPDATE on E.coli outbreak in Europe

The HPA confirmed that all seven patients had recently visited Germany, where an 81-year-old woman became the 18th victim of the previously unknown E coli strain when she died on Wednesday at Hamburg-Eppendorf university hospital. More than 2,000 others have so far been infected in 10 countries from eating contaminated vegetables.

The HPA reminded Britons travelling to Germany to avoid eating raw tomatoes, cucumbers and leafy salad including lettuce, especially in the north of the country, until further notice. Anyone returning from Germany with symptoms including bloody diarrhea should seek urgent medical attention and ensure they mention their recent travel history.

As the number of cases rises, Russia has extended its ban on imports of raw vegetables from the EU, a move condemned by Brussels as disproportionate. Spain is threatening legal action over the initial attempt by Germany to blame the outbreak on imported Spanish organic cucumbers.

No fatalities or infections have yet been reported in Russia where Gennady Onishchenko, the head of the consumer protection agency Rospotrebnadzor, told the Interfax news agency that the deaths “demonstrate that the much-praised European sanitary legislation that Russia is being urged to adopt does not work”.

Do you know how to protect yourself from E.coli contamination? Have you traveled to or do you live in Europe, and if so what is being said about this?

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