World Health Organization (WHO) declared the deadly E. coli bacterium that has killed 17 is a new and virulent strain of the bug. It is devastating to see a new infectious agent emerge so quickly and cause such chaos in Europe's richest country. This is a good reminder that in spite of multiple contingency plans, when a medical crisis really hits, it comes fast and finds most of us unprepared.
New strain: Scientists from the Beijing Genomics Institute in southern China said that the new E. coli strain responsible for the outbreak carried genes that made it resistant to some antibiotics. "This E.coli is a new strain of bacteria that is highly infectious and toxic," said researchers from the Shenzhen-based centre who are collaborating with scientists in Germany.
The WHO confirmed the enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC) 0104:H4 strain had never been seen before in an outbreak situation. An important proportion of the victims infected with the bacteria have presented hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) and bloody diarrhea. The WHO said figures as of 31 May showed that HUS and EHEC continued to rise in Germany, with 10 countries now confirming cases. Nine patients in Germany had died of HUS, and six of EHEC. There has also been one fatality in Sweden.
Also cases had been reported in Austria, Denmark, France, Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. All cases except two are in people who recently visited northern Germany or in one case, had contact with a visitor from northern Germany, added the WHO.
Political and economic view: As victim numbers climbed further, the political and economic fallout intensified
Spain has added to the row by threatening legal action in pursuit of compensation for its farmers, who claim lost sales run to €200m a week, and have put 70,000 under threat in the sector. Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero criticized the European Commission for being slow to act.
Maria Jose Rios
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