Europe: E. Coli Affects More than 2,200

Europe: E. Coli Affects More than 2,200Geneva, Jun 6. -Nearly 2,260 people have been infected with the bacteria Escherichia coli (EHEC), mainly in Germany, where 21 people have died, the World Health Organization reported on Monday.

Spokespersons of the WHO European section stated that 658 of the cases were affected by the Hemolytic-Uremic Syndrome (Sue), causing 16 deaths, while 605 people were infected by the enterohaemorrhagic (EHEC) strain, which killed six people.

Health authorities still do not know the origin of the outbreak, which apparently came from soy shoots from Lower Saxony and not from cucumbers from Spain, as initially believed.

The strain, Escherichia coli O104:H4, has infected people in Austria, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

The United States also reported three cases. All of the infected share a common factor: having traveled to Germany recently. (Prensa Latina)