German researchers are still trying to identify the source of a deadly E. coli outbreak after Spanish cucumbers were found not to have the lethal strain. About 470 patients - mostly in north Germany - have the most severe and potentially fatal symptoms. The E. coli has killed 16 people - 15 in Germany and one in Sweden. The reprieve for the Spanish cucumber came too late for growers, who were forced to destroy tonnes of freshly harvested vegetables in southern Spain. Shoppers in northern Germany are even boycotting locally grown vegetables, the German newspaper die Welt reports. Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has advised people not to eat raw vegetables, especially in northern Germany. Meanwhile, the Spanish government has demanded compensation for affected Spanish growers. Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba threatened legal action. "We may take action against the authorities, in this case Hamburg," he warned on Wednesday. Europe-wide alert In Germany, 1,169 have been affected by enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, also known as EHEC. In many instances, the gastrointestinal infection has led to Haemolytic-uraemic Syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney problems and is potentially fatal. The RKI has confirmed 470 cases of HUS in Germany - almost 100 more than the number reported on Tuesday. About half of the HUS patients in Hamburg clinics have suffered neural disorders three to five days after falling ill, such as epileptic fits and slurred speech, die Welt reports. German officials say their investigations indicate that people were probably infected by eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes or lettuce. In Sweden, 41 people have the E. coli infection, of whom 15 have developed HUS. Denmark has six HUS cases, the Netherlands three and the UK two. A few infections have also been recorded in Austria, Spain and Switzerland. The president of Spain's fruit and vegetable export federation said the crisis was costing Spanish exporters 200m euros (£174m) a week. Asked which countries had stopped buying Spanish produce, Jorge Brotons was quoted as telling a news conference: "Almost all Europe. There is a domino effect on all vegetables and fruits." Health authorities across Europe have advised citizens to wash fruit and vegetables thoroughly, to do the same with all cutlery and plates, and to wash their hands before meals. German authorities initially pointed to organic cucumbers from Spain. But Spain rejected the accusation. Spanish Agriculture Minister Rosa Aguilar said: "We are disappointed by the way Germany handles the situation." "We want Germany to provide, without any delay and distractions, the necessary information of its investigation so that the European Union can know what is causing the E.coli outbreak." Speaking at an EU meeting in Hungary, she also said the issue should be treated as a "common problem" and that there should be compensation for Spanish and other European producers affected. The Netherlands has also said it will ask for compensation. Several countries have taken steps to curtail the outbreak, such as banning cucumber imports and removing the vegetables from sale. Source:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13613487
Russia bans EU vegetable imports Russia on Thursday banned the import of fresh vegetables from all European Union countries because of the deadly E. coli bacteria scare, the head of the consumer protection agency said. "The fresh vegetable import ban affecting all EU countries went into effect this morning," agency chief Gennady Onishchenko was quoted as saying by Interfax. Vegetables already shipped in from the European Union "will be seized across Russia", he added. Enterohaemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) can result in full-blown haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a disease that causes bloody diarrhoea, serious liver damage and which can result in death. The toll from the outbreak rose to 17 on Wednesday, with all but one of the fatalities occurring in Germany. Hundreds more have fallen sick. German officials have been unable to find the cause of the outbreak after initially blaming it on organic cucumbers imported from Spain. Russia on Monday banned fresh vegetable shipments from Spain and Germany, warning the sanction could soon be applied to all EU countries if it failed to receive a proper explanation as to how the fatal disease was being spread. Russia has been quick in the past to ban the import of products that are also produced locally. While this has ostensibly been on health grounds, some critics have accused the authorities using this as a pretext to unfairly back Russian producers. Onishchenko said orders to stop all incoming European vegetable shipments had already been issued to Russian customs authorities Source:- http://www.mb.com.ph/articles/320924/russia-bans-eu-vegetable-imports
E. coli outbreak: EU ministers to hold crisis talks EU agriculture ministers are to hold emergency talks, as efforts continue to find the source of an E.coli outbreak which has killed 22 people. The first tests on bean sprouts from a German farm suspected of being the source of the outbreak were negative. Of 40 samples examined from the farm in Uelzen, south of Hamburg, the first 23 tested negative, officials said. More than 2,200 people have fallen ill in 12 countries. Cases outside Germany have been linked to travel there. Initially, German officials had pointed to Spanish cucumbers as the likely cause, but that later proved false. Spain's warning In Luxembourg, the EU agriculture ministers will want to know how close experts are to identifying the source, amid mounting criticism of the investigation into the outbreak, the BBC's Europe correspondent Chris Morris reports. Read more here:- http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13677348
