UK E.coli outbreak 'much worse' in kids as contaminated salad sold in half term – new warning issued
The E.coli outbreak in the UK is thought to be much worse for children as the majority of food recalled due to possible contamination was sold during the May half term.
An expert in viral infections today issued an alarming warning about the outbreak, thought to have affected at least 200 people in the country since last month. Greencore Group, which makes salads and sandwiches for Aldi, Asda, Sainsbury's and other shops, says there may have been possible contamination and issued an urgent recall on the items last week.
Now, it is reported many of these products were sold during half-term, which fell for most schools on the week beginning Monday, May 25. Therefore, experts believe children are worst affected by the outbreak of E.coli, a bacteria which can cause kidney failure.
Dr Sarah Pitt, virologist at the University of Brighton, said: "I was looking at the dates and it's possibly half-term, or the weeks just around schools's half-term so people may have been out and about doing slightly different things, and then you are saying 'what were you doing on Wednesday two, or three weeks ago? What did you have for lunch?' People have got to remember.
Children are among those affected by the outbreak of E.coli
"Be mindful of those around you, because this illness is much worse in children, the elderly and people who have an underlying condition with their immune system.
"If you do have diarrhoea, just try not to pass it on to other people, be very careful about your own health, but also be mindful of the people around you because this illness is much worse in young children, elderly, people who have some underlying condition in their immune system as we often see with these infectious diseases. So just keep an eye out for people that you know, just to make sure they’re not getting any worse if they have diarrhoea as well."
Dr Pitt told BBC Breakfast it is important Brits protect themselves, take recalled sandwiches back to the shop as per advice, wash pre-prepared bag salad, fruits and vegetables and cook them thoroughly, remember good hand hygiene, and if they have diarrhoea, do not go to work or visit elderly relatives or people with young children.
A third company has recalled a product as a "precautionary measure" due to possible E. coli contamination. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said manufacturer THIS! has issued a recall notice to customers over its vegan chicken and bacon wrap, which is sold only at WH Smith.
The agency said anyone who purchased the product at any point up to and including Tuesday, June 18, should not eat it and instead return it to the store for a full refund.
Darren Whitby, head of incidents at the Food Standards Agency, said: "Sandwich manufacturers are taking a precautionary measure to recall various sandwiches wraps and salads in response to findings from investigations by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Food Standards Scotland (FSS) and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), who are working to identify the cause of an ongoing outbreak caused by shiga toxin-producing E.coli (Stec)."
Greencore Group said in a statement: "As a precautionary measure, we have voluntarily recalled a number of sandwiches and wraps due to a potential food safety risk.
"Greencore adheres to the highest standards of food safety, and we are working closely with the Food Standards Agency and our suppliers to better understand the possible source of any potential issue."
Sue Davies, head of consumer protection policy at Which? said the outbreak shows how "we can never afford to be complacent with our food safety and food standards".