One person has died following an E.coli outbreak in the UK, health officials have confirmed.
According to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) the affected person died in Scotland. This came as the result of a Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) outbreak in the UK, which has been linked to some unpasteurised cheeses.
A total of 30 cases of STEC have been confirmed across England and Scotland since late July, although the majority of these were reported this month.
Of those infected, 15 were female and 15 were male and their ages ranged from seven to 81.
Information on 19 of the patients revealed 12 suffered from bloody diarrhoea as a result.
Eleven of them were hospitalised and one patient developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious and life-threatening condition mainly affecting the kidneys.
As previously reported by Express.co.uk , investigations have identified links between some patients and a range of unpasteurized cheeses.
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland (FSS) had already warned people that a type of raw milk cheese may be contaminated with STEC.
As a result four of Mrs Kirkham’s Lancashire Cheese products were recalled on Christmas Eve as a precautionary measure.
These products are the:
- Mild and creamy Lancashire
- Tasty Lancashire
- Mature Lancashire
- Smoked Lancashire.
A fifth cheese, the No1 Farmhouse Kirkham’s Lancashire cheese with use by dates from October 30 to January 16, has now also been recalled by Waitrose.
All orders to Mrs Kirkham’s have been suspended amid an investigation.
As reported by Food Safety News, a statement from Mrs Kirkham said there had not yet been any testing on products for the specific E. coli type behind the outbreak to confirm contamination.
On its website, Mrs Kirkham’s said it made the “difficult” decision to recall all of its products purchased between October 1 and December 24.
It a statement the company said: “‘This recall relates to new testing techniques designed to better identify potentially dangerous strains of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli.
“Unfortunately, these new testing techniques are not currently industry standard.
“As a result, despite rigorous and thorough testing throughout our production processes, the potential risk to product safety was not previously identified.
“We are now unfortunately in a state of limbo until testing laboratories reopen and resume testing. As soon as they do, together with the FSA we will investigate further.”
Amy Douglas, an incident director for gastrointestinal infections and food safety at the UKHSA, commented: “There have been at least 30 confirmed cases of this specific outbreak strain of STEC in the UK.
“If you have diarrhoea and vomiting, you can take steps to avoid passing it on to family and friends over the festive period.
“Washing your hands with soap and warm water and using bleach-based products to clean surfaces will help stop infections from spreading. Don’t prepare food for others if you have symptoms or for 48 hours after symptoms stop.”
The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention lists symptoms of STEC as:
- Severe stomach cramps
- Diarrhoea (often bloody)
- Vomiting
- Fever.
If someone then goes on to develop HUS they could experience:
- Decreased frequency of urination
- Feeling very tired
- Losing the pink colour in cheeks and inside the lower eyelids.
If someone is displaying symptoms you should seek immediate medical help.
