One dead from E. coli linked to salad leaves at centre of outbreak

A person has died in England linked to an ongoing E.coli outbreak in the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) confirmed that the person died because of the ongoing outbreak of the illness.

The UKHSA said it had identified two people in England who died within 28 days of infection with shiga toxin-producing E.coli (Stec).

‘Based on the information available from health service clinicians one of these deaths is likely linked to their Stec infection,’ it said.

‘Both individuals had underlying medical conditions. The deaths occurred in May.’

It comes as a spate of more than 100 E.coli infections have been reported across the UK, with 86 people hospitalised due to their symptoms, which is thought to be ‘part of a single outbreak’.

It was previously thought a ‘ready to eat dairy item’ caused the E.coli outbreak, but the specific item has not been named or identified by the UKHSA.

It’s now thought the outbreak could have been caused by some supermarket sandwiches containing salad leaves, with several manufacturers issuing recalls for some of their products as a precaution.

Darren Whitby, Head of Incidents at the FSA said: ‘Earlier this month, we confirmed that several sandwich manufacturers had taken precautionary action to withdraw and recall various sandwiches, wraps, subs and rolls after food chain and epidemiological links enabled us to narrow down a wide range of foods to a type of lettuce used in sandwich products as the likely cause of the outbreak.

‘This remains a complex investigation and we continue to work with the relevant businesses and the local authorities to ensure necessary steps are being taken to protect consumers.

‘Although we are confident in the likely source of the outbreak being linked to lettuce, work continues to confirm this and identify the root cause of the outbreak with the growers, suppliers and manufacturers so that actions can be taken to prevent a re-occurrence.’

The latest UKHSA figures, released on Tuesday (June 25), said there had been a further 19 cases linked with this outbreak, bringing the total confirmed cases to 275.

Of those, 182 were reported in England, 58 in Scotland, 31 in Wales, and four in Northern Ireland – although their infections are believed to have been picked up in England.

49% of the first 245 cases led to hospitalisation.

Amy Douglas, Incident Director at UKHSA, said: ‘We’re pleased that fewer cases have been reported, however we still expect to see a few more cases linked to this outbreak as further samples are referred to us for testing.

‘Symptoms of infections with STEC include severe and sometimes bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever.

‘While diarrhoea and vomiting can have a range of causes, there are simple steps you can take to reduce your risk and the risk of infecting others.

‘Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using disinfectants to clean surfaces will help stop any further spread of infection.

‘If you are unwell, you should not prepare food for others while unwell and avoid visiting people in hospitals or care homes to avoid passing on the infection in these settings.

‘Do not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped.

‘If you are concerned about your symptoms, follow NHS.UK guidance on when to seek help and the steps you can take to avoid further spread to family and friends.’

This is a developing news story, more to follow soon… Check back shortly for further updates.

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