E. coli outbreak in Europe deadliest on record
Posted June 3, 2011 6:31 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Eighteen people are dead and nearly two-thousand are ill after the deadliest E. coli outbreak on record hits Europe.
The outbreak is believed to have started in Germany and has been linked to raw vegetables, causing some consumers to swear off lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes as a precaution.
Farmers in Europe say they are losing millions.
The exact source of the outbreak is still not clear but, Keith Warriner, a professor in food safety at the University of Guelph told 680News the contamination will arrive in Canada at some point.
“I think we’ve got more risk of people coming in carrying the organism, spreading it here, than we have contracting it from vegetables.”
Warriner said that using common senses is the easiest way to prevent the spreading of the illness.
He is advising people to wash their hands frequently and to prevent cross contamination when preparing food.
