and no one knows exactly how/where/why.
Unfortunately, it was stated to the press that they were infected Spanish cucumbers and now most countries are closed to the fruit/vegetable food transport out of Spain, including Russia.

At least 15 dead, another is in the hospital in Spain who was in the Hamburg area 9 days ago. They are still trying to figure out where these vegetables got infected with E-coli. Seems the fields in Spain are clear of the bacteria and no one here has been infected nor the local workers of that area. This is very scary.

Hopefully they will determine where this problem is originating from before anymore unsuspecting people die.

In the meantime, needless to say, not many Germans are eating any type of salad.

Such a shame.

The title sounds like an April Fool or from Monty Python, but unfortunately its true. Its not doing my Health Anxiety any good, Ive been 'off' all day and you can guess what I ate yesterday.

This story hit the news the same day that Germany declared it was getting rid of all it's nuclear plants.

So they will be safe from nuclear meltdowns but beware of those cucumbers!!!

Whatever next?

I heard that they're telling people to be wary of lettuce and fresh tomatoes, too. I sure hope this is just out of an abundance of caution and that it doesn't spread to other vegetables and more countries. Just in time for the summer markets! Like all E-coli outbreaks, the fear will continue until they track the source and work out the distribution from there.

short update but no real light is shed yet... as death tolls rises to 16.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/ma...germany-sweden

Hello, lincasanova, it is a scary situation. I just read that 16 people have died. I so hope that the this horrible problem can be resolved. And I sure hope you are all right, stevelyon. If not please get medical attention immediately.
It seems like more and more our food around the world can be dangerous to eat.

I stocked up on baby tomatos, 37ct per pack and Spanish "egg tomatos" 80ct per kilo. Yummy and sweet. If I would like cucumbers and they were still available, I'd buy a few too.

It's al-Qaida, they don't want me to eat tomatos! LOL

Here is an update from the AP. WHO has declared the e-coli is a new strain.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories...MPLATE=DEFAULT

Of the 21 dead, 18 are women and unfortunatly 3 children too.

I hope this is not a laboratory- created strain. Could this be sabotage of some sort? Seems so strange.

I'm surprised that nobody has suggested terrorism yet. Introducing a potentially deadly germ into a food supply chain is a classic bioterrorism scenario.

Of course, most such methods work their magic by inducing fear, uncertainty, and dread, and not by actually harming people, since the actual numbers tend to be quite low.

I have a feeling , anthony, that this will end up somewhere along that line. Biological warfare testing.. accidental spreading of this or .. who knows? It just doesn't add up.

New strain of e-coli according to the BBC, if im reading it right however the strain found in Germany and the strain found on cucumbers in Spain are not the same?

It is a big deal the cucumbers have been cleared but all travelers to affected areas are advised to not eat any raw
veggies and seek medical attention quickly if symptoms
develop.It is a new strain of SuperBug that has not been
seen before.

More than 1,600 people in Europe have been infected in with a strain of E. coli bacteria that’s never been seen in an outbreak before, the World Health Organization said, as authorities search for the source of the malady.

The bacteria, which began spreading in Germany, has sickened 1,064 there, an increase of 268, while 470 people have symptoms of a condition that can cause acute kidney failure, up by 97 from yesterday, the WHO said today in a statement on its website. Cases have also been reported in nine other European countries. Seventeen people in Germany and one in Sweden have died, Deutsche Presse Agentur reported, citing local officials.

www.who.org

www.promedmail.org

2 best links for breaking information