BERLIN (AFP) – Germany on Monday held crisis talks amid reports that at least 14 people have died and hundreds are ill in an outbreak of a highly virulent strain of bacteria found on imported cucumbers.
Belgium and Russia banned the import of vegetables from Spain, believed to be the source of at least some of the contaminated cucumbers. Madrid shot back saying it would seek financial compensation from the European Union for lost sales.
More than two weeks after the food poisoning outbreak was first reported in northern Germany, the number of confirmed and suspected cases has reached 1,200, according to media reports.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's national disease institute, said three deaths have been officially linked to the bacteria, but "in total about a dozen people have died according to regional authorities".
These authorities later Monday announced two more deaths: a woman of 50 and a man of 75 -- bringing the toll to at least 14.
The Stockholm-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has described the outbreak of the strain of E. coli as "one of the largest worldwide and the largest ever reported in Germany".
Authorities in Germany warned against eating raw vegetables after traces of the bacteria were found on organic cucumbers from Spain last week.
But officials said they are unsure what caused the sudden outbreak of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) which can result in full-blown haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a disease that causes bloody diarrhoea and serious liver damage and possible death.
The outbreak has hit countries including Britain, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, but most these cases appear to involve people who had recently travelled to or from Germany.
"Normally we see about 1,000 cases per year, but we've now had some 1,200 cases in just 10 days," Jan Galle, director of the Luedenscheid clinic in western Germany, told ZDF public television.
"And we know that this time the EHEC strain is especially virulent and resistant, and has led to a very high number of HUS" cases, he added.
RKI has reported 329 confirmed HUS cases nationwide.
German Consumer Affairs Minister Ilse Aigner held emergency talks with Health Minister Daniel Bahr and regional state representatives, telling reporters the crisis has "taken a European dimension".
Burger said the source of the contamination had not been definitively identified.
Last week his organisation said a study had shown that all those affected had eaten significantly above-average amounts of tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers.
Many German supermarkets and shops removed all Spanish-grown vegetables from their shelves.
Belgium said it was blocking cucumber imports from Spain, while Russia said it was banning vegetable imports from both Spain and Germany.
The Netherlands, which usually exports vast amounts of vegetables to Germany, said sales had collapsed. German farmers also said consumers were boycotting their vegetables.
Doctors remained unsure how to treat the disease which can result in total kidney failure.
"We have 61 adults hospitalised, 21 in intensive care," a spokeswoman for the Eppendorf University Clinic in Hamburg, where most cases are being treated clinic, said Monday evening.
The clinic has appealed for blood donations.
"We are using between 500 and 700 bags of plasma per day, compared to 60 normally. We're running out of supplies," the spokeswoman said.
Rolf Stahl, a neurologist at the clinic, said nearly a third of patients there had lost all kidney functions and were on dialysis.
Doctors were experimenting with a new type of monoclonal antibodies drug, Eculizumab, which, while not officially approved, has been administered to 11 patients in a bid to save their lives.
"The infection source remains active and we have to reckon with a growing number of cases," Bahr said.
Belgium and Russia banned the import of vegetables from Spain, believed to be the source of at least some of the contaminated cucumbers. Madrid shot back saying it would seek financial compensation from the European Union for lost sales.
More than two weeks after the food poisoning outbreak was first reported in northern Germany, the number of confirmed and suspected cases has reached 1,200, according to media reports.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's national disease institute, said three deaths have been officially linked to the bacteria, but "in total about a dozen people have died according to regional authorities".
These authorities later Monday announced two more deaths: a woman of 50 and a man of 75 -- bringing the toll to at least 14.
The Stockholm-based European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control has described the outbreak of the strain of E. coli as "one of the largest worldwide and the largest ever reported in Germany".
Authorities in Germany warned against eating raw vegetables after traces of the bacteria were found on organic cucumbers from Spain last week.
But officials said they are unsure what caused the sudden outbreak of enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) which can result in full-blown haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a disease that causes bloody diarrhoea and serious liver damage and possible death.
The outbreak has hit countries including Britain, Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, but most these cases appear to involve people who had recently travelled to or from Germany.
"Normally we see about 1,000 cases per year, but we've now had some 1,200 cases in just 10 days," Jan Galle, director of the Luedenscheid clinic in western Germany, told ZDF public television.
"And we know that this time the EHEC strain is especially virulent and resistant, and has led to a very high number of HUS" cases, he added.
RKI has reported 329 confirmed HUS cases nationwide.
German Consumer Affairs Minister Ilse Aigner held emergency talks with Health Minister Daniel Bahr and regional state representatives, telling reporters the crisis has "taken a European dimension".
Burger said the source of the contamination had not been definitively identified.
Last week his organisation said a study had shown that all those affected had eaten significantly above-average amounts of tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers.
Many German supermarkets and shops removed all Spanish-grown vegetables from their shelves.
Belgium said it was blocking cucumber imports from Spain, while Russia said it was banning vegetable imports from both Spain and Germany.
The Netherlands, which usually exports vast amounts of vegetables to Germany, said sales had collapsed. German farmers also said consumers were boycotting their vegetables.
Doctors remained unsure how to treat the disease which can result in total kidney failure.
"We have 61 adults hospitalised, 21 in intensive care," a spokeswoman for the Eppendorf University Clinic in Hamburg, where most cases are being treated clinic, said Monday evening.
The clinic has appealed for blood donations.
"We are using between 500 and 700 bags of plasma per day, compared to 60 normally. We're running out of supplies," the spokeswoman said.
Rolf Stahl, a neurologist at the clinic, said nearly a third of patients there had lost all kidney functions and were on dialysis.
Doctors were experimenting with a new type of monoclonal antibodies drug, Eculizumab, which, while not officially approved, has been administered to 11 patients in a bid to save their lives.
"The infection source remains active and we have to reckon with a growing number of cases," Bahr said.
208 Comments
- 83 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 6 users disliked this commentron Report Abuse
save your seeds grow your own empower yourself. Learn to use a shovel.
Replies (8) - 84 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 7 users disliked this commentRob L Report Abuse
"Madrid shot back saying it would seek financial compensation from the European Union for lost sales." Sorry if our crap is killing y'all, but you gotta pay us for lost sales. If this statement weren't so self-serving, arrogant and sad, it would be hilarious.
Replies (7) - 19 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this commentDon't tell Mom Report Abuse
I grow my own cukes, onions, tomato's, celery, cabbage, several type lettuce's, strawberries, peaches, pears, apples, plums, garlic plus much more. Some labor intensive but helps keeping in shape. And they taste sooogooood.
Replies (6) - 66 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 8 users disliked this commentMichaelA Report Abuse
Isn't this global economy fun? Just think they can send deadly pathogens all around the world in just a couple of days.
Reply - 11 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this commentJones Report Abuse
Humans defecating up stream from the farm is usually the case. I wouldn't knowingly eat anything grown in Mexico unless it came from a tree same goes for farms in the US where the workers are not taught to use sanitary facilities. Europe has been pretty good at keeping their food safe up until now that is.
Replies (4) - 10 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this commentDrMallard Report Abuse
Big questions: are these cucumbers contaminated on only the outside or on the inside as well? And if it's just the outside, did anyone consider washing them with alcohol (which evaporates) or giving them a dip in food-grade (30%) hydrogen peroxide? Either of these would kill off any surface bacteria.
Replies (5) - 31 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 4 users disliked this commentJerry Report Abuse
Remember Johnny Appleseed? We need to bring that spirit back. Plant stuff all over the place. Its there for the taking.
Replies (5) - 77 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 14 users disliked this commentZERO TOLERANCE Report Abuse
Grow your own veggies. That way, you KNOW what's in them and on them.
Replies (10) - 28 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 4 users disliked this commentwhatadoc Report Abuse
Spain is so funny. They're not saying, 'Let's get together and find the source,' or 'Here's evidence that Spanish vegetables aren't the problem.' Instead, they're demanding to be compensated because people stopped eating their poisonous produce. Just like here in the US, the apparent criminal is crying that she's the victim.
Replies (3) - 4 users liked this comment Please sign in to rate this comment up. Please sign in to rate this comment down. 0 users disliked this commentGail Report Abuse
When I first read the headline I thought it was a joke. But this is NOT funny. I don't know anyone who cooks cucumbers, so grow your own or stop eating them.
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