June 4th, 2011 --

Spanish vegetable exporters mistakenly got the blame for theE. coli outbreak that has caused over 1,064 cases of bloody diarrhea and more than 550 cases of the hemolytic-uremic syndrome have been reported. The previous numbers are reported since the outbreak in northern Germany of a virulent strain of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC), according to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control.

Europeans have been warned to avoid eating raw lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes, which are believed to be the source of the current outbreak.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), USA, said this E. coli strain is probably the most deadly one ever seen. WHO (World Health Organization) describes it as "(a variant) never seen in an outbreak situation before." Beijing Genomics Institute scientists in China said this new E. coli form is highly infectious and toxic.

Although Spanish cucumbers were initially blamed, the source of the outbreak is not yet identified. It can be a hard decision to make when you have preliminary information that points to a suspect, and in the meantime, people are getting ill and possibly dying in large numbers. Often times it is really hard to find a balance between being fast and being right.

In the meantime, the advice remains the same: wash your hands after using the toilet, and before preparing food and eating, and wash counters and utensils that come in contact with raw meat. And if you are concerned about the cleanliness of raw vegetables, cook them well.

Source: WHO, Health Protection Agency (UK).