Cases of illness from E coli are on the rise in Germany, prompting a warning to British tourists.
An outbreak of E coli in Germany has prompted the
Health Protection Agency (HPA) and
Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to issue a warning to anybody considering travelling to the nation.
The bodies advise those across the country - particularly in the north - to avoid tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce as a precaution, although the exact source of the epidemic has not yet been identified.
Statistics show 13 people have already died from the illness, with 1,064 cases of bloody diarrhoea reported to the German authorities and 470 incidents of haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS), which is caused by E coli.
There have also been incidents in England, with a total of three HUS reports and four of bloody diarrhoea.
Travel insurance policyholders and others who have returned from Germany with illness are advised to seek urgent medical attention.
In the new cases reported in England, three in four have been linked to recent travel in Germany, so the HPA warns it is important to tell medical professionals of any trips to the nation.
Dr Dilys Morgan, head of the gastrointestinal, emerging and zoonotic infections department at the HPA, said: "The HPA continues to actively monitor the situation very carefully and we are working with the authorities in Germany and with our counterparts across Europe as to the cause of the outbreak."
"We have alerted health professionals to the situation and advised them to urgently investigate and report suspected cases with a travel history to Germany."
An update from the HPA released on May 31st revealed 373 cases of HUS and six deaths had been recorded in the European nation to-date.
By Robin Western
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