Residents across B&NES, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire are being reminded to take particular care with hygiene and food preparation practices as investigations continue into an increase in cases of E.coli O157 infection.
Public Health England (PHE) is working closely with Environmental Health Officers and the Public Health Teams at Bath and North East Somerset Council, North Somerset Council, South Gloucestershire Council, Bristol City Council, Swindon Borough Council, Wiltshire Council and Gloucestershire County Council to investigate the cause of a probable cluster of E.coli O157 infections diagnosed locally.
PHE has been working with those with symptoms to establish the likely cause of their illness by answering a detailed questionnaire to try and establish common exposures that might explain why they became ill.
This has shown several of the affected individuals ate salad items prior to becoming unwell, although no individual salad item or supplier has been identified as the source.
PHE is now reminding people to maintain good hygiene and food preparation practices especially with salad items which should be washed thoroughly before eating.
Mike Wade, Director of Health Protection for Public Health England South West said: “E.coli O157 infection can cause a range of symptoms, from mild diarrhoea to bloody diarrhoea with severe abdominal pain and, on rare occasions, it can also cause more serious medical conditions.
“E.coli O157 can be caught by eating contaminated food or by contact with infected animals. It can also be passed from an infected individual to another person if hand and toilet hygiene is poor.
“We continue to stress the importance of good hand and food hygiene practices at all times. It is vital to wash hands thoroughly using soap and water after using the toilet, before and after handling food and after contact with any animal and pets, including farm animals. Small children should also be supervised when washing their hands.
“We also urge people to remove any loose soil before storing vegetables and thoroughly wash all vegetables, fruit and salad items that will be eaten raw.”
Those affected in this outbreak have been supported by health care professionals and their household and close contacts have been given information on infection control and signs and symptoms associated with the infection. No children have been affected to date.
Dr Mark Pietroni, Director of Public Health for South Gloucestershire Local Authority: “Colleagues in all the affected Local Authorities are working with Public Health England and national experts to discover the reason for this outbreak so that we can take the necessary steps to control it as quickly as possible.”
For further information about E.coli O157, visit: http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/Escherichia-Coli-O157/Pages/Introduction.aspx.
