Fatal E Coli Outbreak Strikes Germany
By: Anthony Adragna
Published: May 25, 2011

At least one woman has died from an outbreak of E. Coli in Germany and health officials suspect two more deaths may be related to the pathogen. More alarmingly, scientists do not know the cause of the outbreak. 
The victim was an 83-year-old woman from Lower Saxony. She was admitted to the hospital with bloody diarrhea and succumbed to the disease about a week later. Two additional fatalities appear to be linked to the outbreak, but scientists do not have lab tests to confirm that yet. More than 400 people have been sickened by the disease so far and 40 of those cases are considered severe or "life-threatening." 
Health officials believe the pathogen could have originated in unwashed vegetables, but have been unable to link the infection to any specific vegetable. Most of the victims have been adult women. Scientists say that around 1,100 people become sick from E. Coli annually but the current infection rate is "unusually high."

Comments:
Barnaby
May 25, 2011

So sad! A good reminder of the benefits of locally grown foods, which typically get mixed far less with foods from other sources. This reduces the chances of cross-contamination.