Salad link in UK E. coli illnesses
All cases are adults and majority are female. Illnesses are distributed across Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire with more observed in South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire areas.
PHE said it was working with environmental health officers and the public health teams at different councils to investigate the cause of a cluster of E. coli O157 infections diagnosed locally.
The agency did not respond to our media request before deadline so it is unknown when the outbreak started and illness onset dates are, if contaminated product could still be on the market, the parties involved or how salad got contaminated.
The UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) told us it was involved but PHE is leading.
No food source has been confirmed, so advice is precautionary at this stage, added the agency.
Questionnaire points to salad
The agency said it has asked those with symptoms to answer a questionnaire to try and establish common exposures that might explain why they became ill.
This has shown several of the affected individuals ate salad items prior to becoming unwell, although no individual item or supplier has been identified as the source.
E. coli linked to prepacked salads sickened 40 people in the UK last year, according to PHE.
The agency did not tell us who the parties involved were or if the product was distributed abroad.
In that investigation two salad products from one supermarket chain which share one ingredient were suspected to be the source and traceback identified one packer/distributor supplied by three farms.
Hygiene reminder
PHE said it was reminding people to maintain good hygiene and food preparation practices especially with salad items which should be washed thoroughly before eating.
Mike Wade, director of health protection for PHE South West said, E. coli O157 infection can cause a range of symptoms, from mild to bloody diarrhoea with severe abdominal pain and, on rare occasions, more serious medical conditions.
“E. coli O157 can be caught by eating contaminated food or by contact with infected animals. It can also be passed from an infected individual to another person if hand and toilet hygiene is poor," he said.
“We continue to stress the importance of good hand and food hygiene practices at all times. It is vital to wash hands thoroughly using soap and water after using the toilet, before and after handling food and after contact with any animal and pets, including farm animals. Small children should also be supervised when washing their hands.
“We also urge people to remove any loose soil before storing vegetables and thoroughly wash all vegetables, fruit and salad items that will be eaten raw."
