COPENHAGEN, June 7 (Xinhua) -- The outbreak of infections caused by E. coli bacteria may be over in Denmark as no new cases have been reported here since Friday.
According to Denmark's National Serum Institute (NSI), there are 18 confirmed cases of severe intestinal infection caused by exposure to the bacteria as of Monday. No new infections have been reported since Friday, it added.
The confirmed cases are said to consist(组成) of 10 men and 8 women aged between 23 and 81 years of age. Seven show symptoms of kidney failure which is associated with advanced stages of the infection.
All but one are believed to have contracted the infection while traveling in northern Germany, where the outbreak started, the NSI said.
So far, the E. coli infection has claimed 21 lives in Germany, which reports over 2,100 confirmed and suspected cases. It has also spread to 12 countries according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
"This particular strain of E.coli has been identified in some people sporadically in the past, but it has not been known to have been associated with outbreaks in the past," a WHO spokesperson said Friday, adding it was a "very, very rare strain."Health authorities in Germany now suspect bean sprouts as the source of contamination in this outbreak, although this is yet to be confirmed.
Dr Kaare Moelbak, an epidemiologist at NSI told Danish media Sunday that bean sprouts were a "very likely" source of contamination.
Cucumbers were initially suspected and Denmark's food authority continues to warn against eating raw tomato, cucumber or lettuce from Germany until the source is established.
Children are normally most vulnerable to E. coli infection but most of those infected in this outbreak are above the age of 20 years, Moelbak told Xinhua last week.
He said children are likely less affected by this outbreak as they usually eat fewer salads than adults.
In Germany, it is mostly women who have been affected by the infection. Moelbak explained the skew in infections saying women tend to choose to eat more vegetables than men, in comments made to Danish media Thursday.（本文由在线英语听力室整理编辑） |