An E.coli outbreak has been declared in the UK, after the UK Health Security Agency reported 113 cases since May 25, with some of those infected being admitted to hospital. At least 37 people have been admitted to hospital in an E.
coli outbreak believed to be linked to food, according to the UKHSA. Most of the 113 cases are part of a single outbreak, the UKHSA said. Owing to the “wide geographic spread of cases”, the agency believes the outbreak – which has mostly affected young adults – is linked to a nationally distributed food item or multiple food items.
The UKHSA said it is working with public health agencies in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and Food Standards Scotland to determine the cause of people’s illness. Trish Mannes, incident director at UKHSA, said: “If you have diarrhoea and vomiting, you can take steps to avoid passing it on to family and friends. “If you are unwell with diarrhoea and vomiting, you should not prepare food for others while unwell and avoid visiting people in hospitals or care homes to avoid passing on the infection in these settings.
Do not return to work, school or nursery until 48 hours after your symptoms have stopped.” Darren Whitby, head of incidents and resilience at the FSA, said it is working to identify the source of the illness “which is likely to be linked to one or more food items”. Health experts at NowPatient have explained what E.
coli is, the main symptoms to look out .