The outbreak is reportedly treating an undisclosed number of patients in hospitals, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA).The UKHSA did not provide any information about the “food item” believed to be the cause, only stating that testing indicated that the majority of the 113 cases recorded in the UK are “part of a single outbreak.”
The majority of the illnesses occur in young adults, with instances ranging in age from two to 79.
According to UKHSA, there are:
81 instances were reported in England; 18 in Wales; 13 in Scotland; and 1 in Northern Ireland, where there is evidence that the patient contracted the virus while traveling to England.
The UKHSA reported that about 37 patients had been hospitalized out of the 81 instances that occurred in England.
According to the government, “Based on the wide geographic spread of cases, it is most likely that this outbreak is linked to a nationally distributed food item or multiple food items.”
The E. coli O145 (Stec) strain that is responsible for the outbreak’s cases is known to produce Shiga toxin, which can result in fever, cramping in the stomach, and severe diarrhea.
The illness can induce hemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a dangerous and sometimes fatal disorder, in certain people, primarily youngsters, and its symptoms can last for up to two weeks.