The E.coli outbreak is “much worse” in young children, elderly people and those with underlying health conditions according to experts, with the potential to cause life-threatening complications in these groups.
E.coli can be caught by ingesting meat that hasn’t been properly cooked or cold meats, vegetables or salads that are infected with the bacteria. E.coli can cause Haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), a rare kidney condition that causes the destruction of red blood cells, according to Kidney Research UK.
The rare kidney condition is most common in children under five and very elderly people. Symptoms to watch out for include bloody diarrhoea, vomiting, severe abdominal pain, infrequent urination, loss of appetite, tiredness, swelling and bruising.
READ MORE:E.coli symptoms as food manufactures recall items amid ‘complex’ outbreak
Speaking on BBC Breakfast, Dr Sarah Pitt, a virologist at the University of Brighton, advised: “If you do have diarrhoea, just try not to pass it on to other people, be very careful about your own health, but also be mindful of the people around you because this illness is much worse in young children, elderly, people who have some underlying condition in their immune system as we often see with these infectious diseases.”
She urged everyone to keep an eye out for others, especially if they know someone suffering from diarrhoea. According to Dr Pitt, based on the dates, she believes people may have consumed the contaminated food during half-term or the weeks surrounding it. She noted: “So people may have been out and about doing slightly different things, you know, slightly out of the ordinary.”
To protect yourself, Dr Pitt recommends returning recalled sandwiches to the shop as per advice, washing pre-prepared bag salad, fruits and vegetables thoroughly, maintaining good hand hygiene, and refraining from going to work or visiting elderly relatives or people with young children if you have diarrhoea.
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