Image via WikipediaThe world's biggest outbreak of a deadly form of E.coli bacteria has claimed another life as it continues to spread across Europe.
Health officials say the virus, believed to have originated from organic cucumbers imported from Spain , has killed 10 people and infected hundreds more in Germany.
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| Prolific cucumber. Image by oakleyoriginals |
The epicentre of the outbreak has been in the country's north with more than 270 people contracting the disease in recent weeks - four times the normal annual figure of about 60.
Three cases have also been reported in Britain , a further 25 in Sweden and seven in Denmark.
In Austria there have been two cases, while the Netherlands and Switzerland have each had one suspected case.
All of the cases are understood to have been linked with travel to Germany.
Experts said the outbreak of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), which affects the blood, kidneys and, in severe cases, the nervous system, was the largest ever in Germany - and the biggest of its kind worldwide.
An 86-year-old woman was the latest victim of the bug after she died in the University Hospital Luebeck on Saturday.
Her husband is among about 70 patients being treated for the bacteria at the northern Germany hospital, whose doctors say they expect to see 10 new cases a day in the coming weeks.
Some of these products have been removed from shop shelves.
- Usually occurs when digestive system infection produces toxic substances
- Toxic substances destroy red blood cells and can cause kidney failure
- Severe cases can cause failure of nervous system
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| What's for lunch? Image by erix! |
As German media reported the number of people infected had risen to 1,200, Health Minister Daniel Bahr was preparing to hold emergency talks with Consumer Affairs Minister Ilse Aigner and regional state representatives to discuss the outbreak, officials said.
Meanwhile, the authorities in Schleswig-Holstein and Lower Saxony expect the number of seriously ill patients to rise, because it can take up to 10 days for symptoms of infection to appear, the news website Spiegel reported.
Doctors are pinning their hopes on Eculizumab, an antibody treatment that has worked in the past against HUS, correspondents say.
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| No more salads for the meantime. Image by laurelfan. |
The head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's national disease institute, has warned people to avoid eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce.
The sickness is not directly contagious but it can be transferred between people if an infected person prepares food for others.
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