A deadly outbreak of E.coli linked to contaminated cucumbers is sending Europe on high alert

A deadly outbreak of E.coli linked to contaminated cucumbers is sending Europe on high alert, as death toll from the disease climbed to 16 till Tuesday.

So far, 15 folks have reportedly died and a lot more than 300 were seriously ill from infections linked to tainted vegetables in Germany. Specialists said the numbers are expected to enhance within the coming week.

"We hope the number of circumstances will go down but we fear it will worsen," said Oliver Grieve, spokesperson with the University Medical Center Schleswig where most German victims are becoming treated.

The German government has identified the pathogen as hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), a significant complication of a sort of E. coli known as Shiga toxin-producing E.coli (STEC). The bacteria could damage blood cells and kidneys, and hence cause deaths.

A woman in her 50s was confirmed to be the very first fatal victim out of Germany by a nearby hospital on Tuesday. Officials at the hospital in Boras, southwestern Sweden, stated the woman, who had recently traveled to Germany, was admitted on May possibly 29.

Swedish well being authorities already said on Sunday that 36 folks, all linked to travel in northern Germany, had been confirmed to have infected with E.coli, whereas cases had been also reported in France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Britain.

It was the second food scare for European consumers this year. In January, extremely toxic dioxin was discovered in eggs, poultry and pork items across Germany.

German authorities had initially suspected cucumbers imported from Spain to be 1 achievable source of the E. coli outbreak, as 3 out of four contaminated cucumbers analyzed last week by the Hamburg Institute for Hygiene as well as the Environment came from Spain.

But officials said they could not determine the exact source of the virulent strain of the bacteria ahead of a crisis meeting in Berlin on Monday.

Nevertheless, parts of the 82-million-populated country have already banned import of cucumber from Spain, whilst the country's national illness center, the Robert Koch Institute, suggested men and women steer clear of consuming raw tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce for a while.

Meanwhile, Spain, clearly on the defensive, insisted that the country was not necessarily the source of the disease and that the cucumbers could have been contaminated throughout transport to Germany.

"You can't attribute the origin of this sickness to Spain," Spain's Secretary of State for European Affairs, Diego Lopez Garrido told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

"There is no proof and that is why we are going to demand accountability from people who have blamed Spain for this matter," he said.

Frederic Vincent, an EU spokesperson stated authorities were at present testing water and soil from the greenhouses that were identified as the source of the contaminated cucumbers.

The results of the tests are expected later on Tuesday or Wednesday, he said.

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