.Killer germ: First outbreak of 'rare' microbe: - WHO
The strain of a lethal bacteria that has killed 18 people in Europe is "very rare" and had never been seen in an outbreak form before, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Thursday.
"This strain isolated from cases in the infection outbreak in Germany has never been seen in an outbreak before," Gregory Hartl, the WHO spokesman, said.
"It has been seen in sporadic cases and is very rare," he added.
The European Union's watchdog for disease prevention said Thursday that lab tests had identified the strain of a lethal E. coli germ that had caused an amplifying food scare.
In a statement, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said the "causative agent" was a member of a group of bacterial strains called Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, or STEC.
Eighteen people have been killed in Europe -- 17 of them in Germany and one in Sweden -- and more than 2,000 have fallen sick from the bug since Germany first sounded the alarm on May 22, according to a toll compiled by AFP on Thursday from national health authorities.
Roughly two thirds of confirmed cases have been found in women and the bacteria has not yet been detected in anyone under younger than 20 years.
Health officials have so far failed to pinpoint the origin of the outbreak.
Initial speculation that cucumbers from Spain were the culprit has been discarded and Spain on Thursday demanded a payback for its farmers.
Farmers across Europe face have been dealt a death blow amid official warnings that to avoid raw vegetables.
Britain reported seven cases of the mysterious lethal bacteria on Thursday, including three people who had recently travelled to Germany and four German nationals.
Russia meanwhile blacklisted vegetable imports from Europe in a moved slammed as "disproportionate" by the European Commission.
Univision
Terrorist bioweapon?
"This strain isolated from cases in the infection outbreak in Germany has never been seen in an outbreak before," Gregory Hartl, the WHO spokesman, said.
"It has been seen in sporadic cases and is very rare," he added.
The European Union's watchdog for disease prevention said Thursday that lab tests had identified the strain of a lethal E. coli germ that had caused an amplifying food scare.
In a statement, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) said the "causative agent" was a member of a group of bacterial strains called Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, or STEC.
Eighteen people have been killed in Europe -- 17 of them in Germany and one in Sweden -- and more than 2,000 have fallen sick from the bug since Germany first sounded the alarm on May 22, according to a toll compiled by AFP on Thursday from national health authorities.
Roughly two thirds of confirmed cases have been found in women and the bacteria has not yet been detected in anyone under younger than 20 years.
Health officials have so far failed to pinpoint the origin of the outbreak.
Initial speculation that cucumbers from Spain were the culprit has been discarded and Spain on Thursday demanded a payback for its farmers.
Farmers across Europe face have been dealt a death blow amid official warnings that to avoid raw vegetables.
Britain reported seven cases of the mysterious lethal bacteria on Thursday, including three people who had recently travelled to Germany and four German nationals.
Russia meanwhile blacklisted vegetable imports from Europe in a moved slammed as "disproportionate" by the European Commission.
Univision
Terrorist bioweapon?
posted by madtom at 6:59 PM
4 Comments:
Very easily accomplished. But, whether intentional or a consequence of unbridled immigration from W. Africa where the virulent aspect of the strain originates, to Europe, the source of the resistant parent of the new strain, and the prevalence of those immigrants involved in the food chain in Europe--- the source and effect is the same.
Ir it shows up in Mexico in the near future with CA fields their destination, you know that is more likely to be intentional.
You think immigrant farm workers from west Africa could have could have brought it in all the way to Germany. seems so far to survive caring a deadly pathogen?
It's deadly in a minority of cases and e coli is carried in the gut of every person alive. What I read was the likelihood that a strain of ecoli in Europe, which has become drug resistant, combined with a strain of ecoli from Africa which is particularly virulent especially among populations not regularly exposed to it, and produced a drug resistant virulent strain in a previously unexposed population making it more deadly at this particular time. Did some jihadist engineer the combination? Maybe.... if not, it certainly should occur to them to try now. I wonder if it is as deadly to ME and Africans or do they have some genetic disposition towards immunity due to generational exposure? Westerners are primed for vulnerability with overuse of anti bacterial soaps and medicines. We have reduced our natural immunities and produced resistant strains in our midst.
Ok, so a possible scenario is some guy got sick and went to the hospital where his guts were exposed to the superbugs running wild at the hospital?
But why are they blaming the vegetables?
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