EHEC plague in Germany, more and more infected fighting for their lives!, page 6

Situation Update No. 53 On 12.06.2011 at 17:56 GMT+2 Germany's health minister has warned more people will die from the E.coli outbreak in Europe which has claimed two more lives. But Daniel Bahr emphasised the worst of the outbreak is over. The bug, which officials have traced to German-grown bean sprouts, has now killed 35 people, with more than 3,000 being taken ill. All of the deaths - except one in Sweden - have been in Germany. Mr Bahr said: "I cannot give an all-clear. New infections are still to be expected but the number of new infections is clearly falling." He said it is unlikely the outbreak will flare up again. But he warned: "Further deaths are not ruled out, as painful as that is." On Friday, health officials said it was now safe to eat tomatoes, cucumbers and leafy salads - all food originally suspected as the source. They were speaking after beansprouts from an organic farm in the Lower Saxony area were found to have caused the outbreak. The farm has been shut down and is no longer sending produce to market. But authorities are urging consumers to avoid eating sprouts while further testing is under way. The German government had come under fire for failing to pin down the cause of the outbreak which prompted many in Europe to shun vegetables over the past month. Even Britons started avoiding or excessively washing fresh produce, despite experts saying there is no evidence food on sale in the UK had been affected. A survey for The Grocer found 38% of people across Britain were worried about falling ill from eating fruit and vegetables after the killer bug surfaced. Of these, 10% of people questioned said they were "very worried". Situation Update No. 52 On 12.06.2011 at 03:44 GMT+2 The worst of the E. coli outbreak may be over, says Germany's health minister. But despite confirming the source of the bacteria, the woes continue for many sick patients - and especially for European vegetable farmers.German Health Minister Daniel Bahr warned Saturday that the number of deaths from an E. coli outbreak may increase. His statement came even as German authorities lifted their warnings on fresh vegetables. Bahr cautioned that "further deaths are not ruled out, as painful as that is." He said, however, that he was hopeful the worst of the outbreak, which has claimed at least 31 lives in Germany and caused over 3,000 illnesses, was now over. "The wave is gradually abating," Bahr was quoted Saturday as telling the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. "There is reason to hope the worst is now over." German authorities announced Saturday that they located the source of the bacteria. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) confirmed test results announced on Friday that identified bean sprouts in the northern village of Bienenbüttel as carrying the virulent E. coli strain EHEC-0104. "These results are an important step in the chain of evidence," said BfR director Andreas Hensel. Officials investigating an organic farm in northern Germany said on Saturday they do not expect to take legal action against it for causing an E.coli outbreak. "Everything we have looked into until now shows the farm was flawless," said Gert Hahne, spokesman for the consumer protection office of Lower Saxony state, where Bienenbüttel is located. "It is hygienic and followed all the regulations."

updates from RSOE

More info updated yesterday

Situation Update No. 55 On 14.06.2011 at 03:43 GMT+2 The death toll in Germany's killer E.coli outbreak has risen to 36, one day after authorities said more fatalities could not be ruled out. Meanwhile, Taiwan has suspended the import of German bean sprouts. The number of people who have died in the outbreak of the virulent E. coli strain in Germany has risen to 36, health officials confirmed Monday. Germany's national disease agency, the Robert Koch Institute, said 3,228 people had fallen ill from the EHEC (enterohaemorrhagic E. coli) bacteria or from linked kidney problems (haemolytic uraemic syndrome or HUS). However, the RKI said there were signs the rate of infection was slowing. "For many days the number of new infections from EHEC or HUS has declined in the country," the agency said in a statement that confirmed the new number. The increase in the death toll comes one day after German Health Minister Daniel Bahr told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper that "more fatalities cannot be ruled out."