KILLER CUCUMBER OUTBREAK SPREADS

Ten Die As 'Killer Cucumber' Outbreak Spreads
16 Comments10:26am UK, Monday May 30, 2011

The world's biggest outbreak of a deadly form of E.coli bacteria has claimed another life as it continues to spread across Europe.

Health officials say the virus, believed to have originated from organic cucumbers imported from Spain, has killed 10 people and infected hundreds more in Germany.

The epicentre of the outbreak has been in the country's north with more than 270 people contracting the disease in recent weeks - four times the normal annual figure of about 60.

Three cases have also been reported in Britain, a further 25 in Sweden and seven in Denmark.

In Austria there have been two cases, while the Netherlands and Switzerland have each had one suspected case.

All of the cases are understood to have been linked with travel to Germany.



Cucumbers were still being sold in markets in Spain despite the outbreak


Experts said the outbreak of hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS), which affects the blood, kidneys and, in severe cases, the nervous system, was the largest ever in Germany - and the biggest of its kind worldwide.

I only bought a Cu at the weekend going to through it in the bin, I bought it from Asda, but who knows were it originated from.

Lillyofthevalley wrote:I only bought a Cu at the weekend going to through it in the bin, I bought it from Asda, but who knows were it originated from.

Quite right Lillyofthevalley . I don"t eat cucumber very often but how can the U.K. Food Ministry say none of the suspect cucumbers have been imported to
Britian?

I had cucumber and beetroot sandwich last night and spent hours on the toilet!

I fee on lots off people are getting upset tummies and not bothering to connect it to the cucumber.

kitti wrote:I had cucumber and beetroot sandwich last night and spent hours on the toilet!

Oh kitti, I was about to say OH S**t

You ought to keep a Diary of all these tribulations you have been facing, I"m sure it would sell well....it"s the way you tell em.!!

Breaking News...another 4 deaths in Germany reported. Spain denies their organic cucumbers have caused the outbreak, Tomatoes and Lettuce are
now being considered.

Bodes well for our holiday next week ...............................

The End Is Nigh wrote:Bodes well for our holiday next week ...............................

Just don"t eat any Salad and you should be alright Seriously , Spain is saying it is not their Cucumbers causing the problem and you have to wonder how such a claim was made when cucumbers from around the World are being iimported into Germany. When you think how many Countries export
Bananas to Britain can you imagine the Food Standards Agency being able to isolate the source.?

Any nasties in my food will be pickled in large quantities of Vino Tinto and Manzanilla Sherrry!

We had a warning here a couple of years ago about our Spanish lettuces.

They said the water being used for irrigation was contaminated by sewage.

Erm... nice!

I've always washed fruit and veg before using it but many don't.

I caught my son making a salad last week without washing the cucumber and toms... and boy did he get an earful from me!

I'm presuming that if you wash everything thoroughly you're safe.

Anyone know for sure??

The End Is Nigh wrote:Any nasties in my food will be pickled in large quantities Vino Tinto and Manzanilla Sherrry!

Well you will build up a good immune system ...just make sure any children with you take care what they eat, they won"t be able to pickle their food.

mumbles wrote:We had a warning here a couple of years ago about our Spanish lettuces.

They said the water being used for irrigation was contaminated by sewage.

Erm... nice!

I've always washed fruit and veg before using it but many don't.

I caught my son making a salad last week without washing the cucumber and toms... and boy did he get an earful from me!

I'm presuming that if you wash everything thoroughly you're safe.

Anyone know for sure??

--------------------------------------
mumbles,

Health officials say the virus, believed to have originated from organic cucumbers imported from Spain, has killed 10 people and infected hundreds more in Germany.

The epicentre of the outbreak has been in the country's north with more than 270 people contracting the disease in recent weeks - four times the normal annual figure of about 60.

There have been cases reported in Britain, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.........yet none in the Country accused of exporting the cucumbers.

In Spain They are still being sold in the Markets.

Panda wrote:

mumbles wrote:We had a warning here a couple of years ago about our Spanish lettuces.

They said the water being used for irrigation was contaminated by sewage.

Erm... nice!

I've always washed fruit and veg before using it but many don't.

I caught my son making a salad last week without washing the cucumber and toms... and boy did he get an earful from me!

I'm presuming that if you wash everything thoroughly you're safe.

Anyone know for sure??

--------------------------------------
mumbles,

Health officials say the virus, believed to have originated from organic cucumbers imported from Spain, has killed 10 people and infected hundreds more in Germany.

The epicentre of the outbreak has been in the country's north with more than 270 people contracting the disease in recent weeks - four times the normal annual figure of about 60.

There have been cases reported in Britain, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.........yet none in the Country accused of exporting the cucumbers.

In Spain They are still being sold in the Markets.

I've both read and heard the news Panda... but thanks anyway.

What I really needed an answer to was is it safe to eat this foodstuff after washing it thoroughly?

Dunno, mumbles perhaps you could google or contact your Food Standards Agency since the cucumbers are being sold in Spanish Markets and seem to
be only organic ones at risk.

Posted by: retired one on May 31, 2011 12:05 AMBonbon This is no joke. My 3 year old son died of this. It is usually meat products that cause this when they are contaminated with animal faeces. Washing the carcass usually before butchery is usually enough to prevent e-coli. This outbreak is probably caused by the use of animal manure containing the e-coli bacteria. Perhaps organic food using animal manureis not as healthy as people think

mumbles that"s a post on sky News which suggests if you only buy organic food, not just Cucumbers, washing before eating should be O.K.

Panda wrote:

Dunno, mumbles perhaps you could google or contact your Food Standards Agency since the cucumbers are being sold in Spanish Markets and seem to
be only organic ones at risk.

I've googled...

A few snips...

While rinsing a tomato under cold water rids the produce of a lot of potentially harmful bacteria, some of these tiny critters are resistant to the shower. Basically, they hang on tight, experts say.
The result can be outbreaks of Salmonella or E. coli in humans, even if we're careful.

Davidson and colleagues investigating the outbreak performed a study in which they sprayed heads of lettuce with E. coli and then washed them three different ways. One group of lettuce was cored and the head was rinsed under a stream of tap water. A second group was cored and dipped several times in a sink full of water. In the third group, the lettuce was washed leaf by leaf in a sink of water. The study showed that washing the leaves individually was significantly better at removing E. coli from the lettuce than the intact washing.
People should separate lettuce leaves prior to washing and wash them very well in a sink of water,'' said Davidson.

This is how I always wash lettuce, but it seems that even washing thoroughly, does not guarantee getting rid of e. coli.

I know where I live a few years ago E coli broke out and the source was traced to a Local Butcher who obviously had to shut down.

If everyone panics and starts to ban imports of Cucumber, Lettuce and Tomatoes from Spain imagine the effect on an already fragile Economy. At the moment the problem is confined to organic produce because of the manure used.

These cucumbers came from Spain but that does'nt mean thats where they were contaminated Hamburg is a port city and word in the German media is that now Spain may not be where this contamination began ,also unofficial reports are saying that several crates were smashed on the harbour .So imo its unfair to blame Spain before all the facts are known.

Yes, this appears to be something introduced to a consignment "en route".

As Germany appears to be the most affected area, by far, it is reasonable to assume that the Port of entry must be in the frame.

A Stevedore who has a dislike of Andrex?

The End Is Nigh wrote:Yes, this appears to be something introduced to a consignment "en route".

As Germany appears to be the most affected area, by far, it is reasonable to assume that the Port of entry must be in the frame.

A Stevedore who has a dislike of Andrex?

The area most affected is Hamburg North Germany these so called killer cucumbers arrived via ship from Spain , but the amount of people who handled this produce from the time it arrived in the port of Hamburg to when it arrived at its various outlets must be too numerous to mention , so pointing fingers at Spain seems imo a little premature .

The End Is Nigh wrote:Yes, this appears to be something introduced to a consignment "en route".

As Germany appears to be the most affected area, by far, it is reasonable to assume that the Port of entry must be in the frame.

A Stevedore who has a dislike of Andrex?

And to add no cases of ecoli have been reported in Spain which in itself is very strange.All reported cases are in the areas around Hamburg and cases reported in the Netherlands Denmark etc is from produce distributed from Germany.

halfamo wrote:And to add no cases of ecoli have been reported in Spain which in itself is very strange.All reported cases are in the areas around Hamburg and cases reported in the Netherlands Denmark etc is from produce distributed from Germany.

Thanks for all the updates.

Unofficial reports in Germany now saying Spanish cucumbers not the source which is a bit worrying because if true means they have no idea how this started.

Latest update from sky, report includes pictures of Spanish women eating Cucumbers and what the bacteria looks like which don"t show here

13 deaths in Germany to date
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Killer Cucumbers: Germany Backtracks
22 Comments3:46pm UK, Tuesday May 31, 2011

German authorities have said they do not know whether Spanish cucumbers have caused the outbreak of E.Coli which has killed at least 16 people.

Hundreds more are ill from viruses linked to the contaminated vegetables.

Health officials say the number of deaths is expected to increase in the coming days as the virus spreads across Europe.

The apparent backtrack by Germany has come after Spain and the Netherlands demanded compensation for vegetable producers who have lost money as a result of concerns over their produce.

The Spanish agricultural minister said she estimated the loss of sales in Spain to reach "more than 200 million euros a week".


The image of Spain is being damaged, Spanish producers are being damaged and the Spanish government is not prepared to accept this situation.

Spain's Agriculture Minister Rosa Aguilar
Earlier, she defended the country's cucumber crop by eating the fruit on TV.

Rosa Aguilar said it is still unclear exactly when and where the vegetables were contaminated.

She tucked in to some cucumbers grown in Spain in an attempt to show they can not be blamed for one of the largest E.coli outbreaks in the world.



A close-up of the bacteria which is causing the E.Coli outbreak


"The image of Spain is being damaged, Spanish producers are being damaged and the Spanish government is not prepared to accept this situation," she said.

Last week, the European Commission identified organic cucumbers from two Spanish provinces as the origin of the outbreak.

It said a third suspect batch of the vegetable originating in the Netherlands and traded in Germany was also under investigation.



Agriculture minister Rosa Aguilar tucks in to a cucumber to prove they are safe


Germany has confirmed 329 cases of the E.coli virus, while in Sweden, authorities said there had been 36 suspected infections - all linked to travel in northern Germany.

Hospital officials in Boras, Sweden, said a woman in her 50s died after being admitted on May 29 following a trip to Germany.

Cases have also been reported in the UK, Switzerland, Denmark and the Netherlands.

In many instances, the gastrointestinal infection has led to Haemolytic-uraemic Syndrome (HUS), which causes kidney problems and is potentially fatal.



Spain's produce industry will suffer 'enormous' damages, officials say


Spain was the largest cucumber producer in Europe in 2008 with 27% of total production. It was followed by the Netherlands on 20%, EU figures show.

German authorities have warned people to avoid eating raw cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce.

Belgium and Russia have banned the import of vegetables from Spain.