One person in England has died linked to the ongoing E. coli outbreak, the UK Health Security Agency has said.
The person died in May and had underlying health conditions, the agency said.
Another person in England, who also had underlying health conditions, died within 28 days of being infected with the current strain, but the UKHSA says information suggests only “one of these deaths is likely linked to their STEC infection”.
It follows a recent outbreak which is thought to be caused by some supermarket sandwiches containing salad leaves.
Several food manufacturers removed some of their products from shelves as a precautionary measure.
The Food Standards Agency said lettuce is the likely source, based on tests.
Darren Whitby, Head of Incidents at the FSA, said: “Earlier this month, we confirmed that several sandwich manufacturers had taken precautionary action to withdraw and recall various sandwiches, wraps, subs and rolls after food chain and epidemiological links enabled us to narrow down a wide range of foods to a type of lettuce used in sandwich products as the likely cause of the outbreak.”
As of June 25, there have been 275 confirmed cases of E. coli (STEC) O145 across the UK.
The overall number of people affected could still rise because some samples from patients have yet to be tested, experts say, although rates are slowing.
Data from 249 cases shows half needed hospital care.
What is E. coli and who is at risk?
E. coli are a diverse group of bacteria that normally live in human and animal intestines.
Some types are harmless but others can make people seriously ill.
The variety in this outbreak, Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) O145, can attack the gut’s lining.
Symptoms usually take a few days to develop and can include:
- diarrhoea that can be bloody
- stomach cramps
- fever
- vomiting
Most people recover well but some – such as young children or people with underlying health conditions – can become very unwell.
