E coli outbreak ‘trail’ leads to German bean sprouts, authorities say

Germans still being warned off cucumber and tomato but farm south of Hamburg is under the microscope The E coli outbreak that has killed more than 20 people was likely caused by bean sprouts grown in Germany, where the cases are centred. The revelation is causing further outrage in Spain, which was initially blamed for being the source. The aggressive strain of the E coli bacterium has so far killed 22 people, made more than 2,200 ill and led Russia to bar EU fruit and vegetable imports. The Spanish prime minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, has already said he will demand compensation for economic losses after many Spanish farms were forced to stop selling their products. Pressure is likely to increase on German officials after they said they believe the outbreak started at home. The Lower Saxony state agriculture minister, Gert Lindemann, told a news conference that investigators had traced the rare strain to a farm in the Uelzen district. Media reports said the farm was near the town of Bienenbuettel, 40 miles south of Hamburg. German authorities had initially blamed the outbreak on Spanish cucumbers . Lindemann, speaking after three weeks of mysterious deaths and widespread consumer fears, said there appeared to be clear links between vegetables from the farm and food eaten by some victims. “We’ve got a really hot lead,” he said. The health scare has strained ties between Germany and Spain and led the Russian prime minister, Vladimir Putin, to say he would not “poison” Russians by lifting an embargo on EU fruit and vegetable imports. Lindemann said the Uelzen farm had been shut down and its produce recalled. Further test results were expected on Monday. Officials said they were not sure if the farm was the only source. Lindemann said it was possible the contaminated produce had found its way into a variety of foods, but said there was a “clear trail” to the farm. “It is the most convincing … source for the E coli illnesses. This is for us the most plausible cause of the illness.” Many of the restaurants in the outbreak had the sprouts delivered from Uelzen, and Lindemann said that not only beansprouts but also alfalfa, mung bean, radish and arugula sprouts from the farm might be connected to the outbreak. He added that consumers should continue to avoid raw cucumbers, tomatoes and salad leaves, as advised by Germany’s main health body, the Robert Koch Institute. The bacterium has so far infected people in 12 countries. All of them had been travelling in northern Germany. It has killed 21 Germans and one Swede. Many of those infected have developed haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly complication attacking the kidneys. Spanish farmers say they have lost €200m in sales a week. The crisis threatens to put 70,000 people out of work in Spain, which already has the highest unemployment in the EU. Germany’s health minister, Daniel Bahr, said health facilities in Hamburg were struggling to cope with the flood of victims . Germany’s second city is the centre of the outbreak. Hospital authorities said blood supplies were running low and staff were exhausted and working round the clock, with the northern cities of Hamburg and Bremen the worst affected. “They [the doctors] voluntarily come in on weekends and even sleep here,” Oliver Grieve, a spokesman for the Kiel University hospital in northern Germany, told Spiegel Online. Hamburg’s health minister, Cornelia Prüfer-Storcks, told a news conference the city was considering bringing doctors out of retirement. “We want to discuss with doctors about whether those who recently retired can be reactivated,” she said. Patients with less serious illnesses are being moved to nearby hospitals and operations for non-threatening diseases are being postponed. E coli Germany Europe Food Spain Adam Gabbatt guardian.co.uk

Posted by on June 6, 2011. Filed under News, Politics, World News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.