E. coli outbreak claims 16th victim in Sweden, first outside Germany

E. coli outbreak claims 16th victim in Sweden, first outside Germany

2011-05-31 18:39:02 GMT+7 (ICT)

BERLIN (BNO NEWS) -- A hospital in Sweden on Tuesday reported the country's first fatality as a result of a mysterious E. coli outbreak which has now claimed a total of 16 lives.

Fifteen people, most of them women, have died in Germany in recent days as a result of the Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia Coli (EHEC) bacteria. Hundreds more have fallen ill in Germany and other European countries.

Swedish hospital officials said in a statement that a woman in her 50s died on Tuesday as a result of EHEC. The woman, whose name was not released, had been hospitalized at Sodra Alvsborg Hospital Boras since May 29 after falling ill during a trip to Germany.

On Monday, an 87-year-old woman and a 75-year-old man died in Germany's eastern state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania; the first fatal cases outside northern Germany. In addition, a mid-aged woman died in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, the same region in which a 91-year-old woman passed away on Sunday.

Reinhard Burger, president of the Robert Koch Institute, stressed on Monday that "further deaths cannot be ruled out and are in fact probable." The Institute is responsible for disease control and prevention in Germany.

Burger warned of eating raw vegetables in northern Germany as washing them is not enough to stop the infectious E coli. Authorities are currently tracing shipments of cucumbers to five other European countries where the bacteria may have originated.

EHEC is a virulent strain of gut bacterium which can cause stomach cramps and diarrhea, and can lead to anemia and kidney damage. Around 800 to 1,200 cases of EHEC are recorded in Germany each year, predominantly affecting children. The current outbreak is unusual as it severely affects adults.

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