Urgent warning after surge in deadly food poisonings – as health officials link outbreak to contaminated salad leaves
In severe cases, infections can lead to a serious, life-threatening condition.
2
New figures from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) revealed a 26 per cent rise in Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) infections in 2024 when compared to 2023.
Overall, 2,544 cases of STEC were confirmed last year, with 564 cases of STEC serotype O157 - the strain linked to severe illness.
There were 1,980 cases of other STEC serotypes (non-0157), which have become increasingly common and are considered less dangerous.
Typically, STEC bacteria causes gastroenteritis, with symptoms ranging from mild to bloody diarrhoea, stomach cramps, vomiting and dehydration.
But in severe cases, they can cause haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) - a potentially deadly condition that predominantly affects the kidneys.
STEC bacteria are spread through contact with animals or their faeces, consuming contaminated food or water, and from person to person.
Dr Gauri Godbole, Deputy Director, Gastrointestinal infections, Food Safety and One Health at UKHSA, said: "It's important for people to take steps to prevent infection.
'Rarely STEC can progress to cause kidney failure and life-threatening illness, particularly in young children and elderly.
"Please consult your GP or healthcare professional if you have blood in your stools or severe dehydration and continue to hydrate yourself.'
The highest incidence of STEC cases in 2024 was in children aged one to four years.
Experts said this may be explained by a combination of factors such as less time to build immunity to infection, less developed hygiene practices, a greater likelihood of parents seeking healthcare when young children are symptomatic, and potential exposure to risk factors such as contact with farm animals, particularly at petting farms.
Travel-related cases increased by 60.5 per cent from 114 in 2023 to 183 in 2024
The UKHSA said this increase may reflect changes in international travel patterns or improved ascertainment of travel history during investigations, although the underlying reasons remain uncertain.
In 2024, there were seven deaths among STEC cases - two linked to STEC O157 and five to non-O157 strains.
The UKHSA investigated five STEC outbreaks at the time, which accounted for 467 cases - 348 of them in England.
All were caused by STEC non-O157.
The sources for three of these were contaminated beef, fresh fruit, and salad leaves.
Non-O157 cases have increased nearly three times since 2019.
The UKHSA suggested the rise may be due to diagnostic laboratories using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), which has improved detection.
While non-O157 infections usually peak in autumn, O157 types peak in summer, so people have been advised to take care throughout the year.
Natasha Smith, Director of Food Policy at the FSA, said: "Public safety is our highest priority. The FSA works closely with UKHSA and other partners to monitor and assess the latest foodborne disease data.
"We are working together to understand the reasons behind the rise in STEC cases, as well as trends in other pathogens, to help us take the necessary action to protect public health.
"We've launched a new food safety campaign to help people stay safe - find out more on food.gov.uk.
"We're also working with local authorities and industry to support businesses meet their legal responsibility to make sure food is safe. Consumers can further protect themselves by checking Food Hygiene Ratings on food.gov.uk before eating out.
'When preparing food at home, people can reduce their risk of food poisoning by following good hygiene practices and by following advice on the 4Cs of food hygiene: chilling, cleaning, cooking, and avoiding cross-contamination.'
Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC): symptoms, how to avoid, and how to treat
THE most common type of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) in the UK is O157.
Symptoms
People infected with STEC can have a combination of the following symptoms:
diarrhoea (about 50 per cent of cases have bloody diarrhoea)
stomach cramps
fever
Some people may have mild diarrhoea, or even no symptoms at all.
Symptoms can last up to two weeks in cases without complications.
A small proportion of patients, mainly children, may develop haemolytic uraemic syndrome (HUS) which is a serious life-threatening condition resulting in kidney failure.
And a small proportion of adults may develop a similar condition called thrombotic thrombocytopaenic purpura (TTP).
How it's transmitted
Cattle are the most important reservoir of STEC O157 in the UK, although STEC have also been found in the faeces of a range of animals, including deer, rabbits, horses, pigs and wild birds.
People can become infected by:
eating contaminated food
contact with infected animals either directly or through inadvertent contact with animal faeces, for example at farms, petting farms and campsites
contact with other people who have the illness (through inadequate hand hygiene after using the toilet, before food handling - particularly in households, nurseries and infant schools, or both
drinking water from inadequately treated water supplies
swimming or playing in contaminated water such as ponds or streams
How to avoid getting it
Good hygiene practices relating to food and drink, and animals and their environment can hep you avoid getting infected.
You must:
cook all minced meat products (burgers, meatloaf, meat balls) thoroughly, until the colour is the same all the way through, and no blood runs from them
ensure refrigerators are working correctly - bacteria grow more quickly at temperatures over 4 o C
only leave cooked foods, meat and dairy products out at room temperature for a short time
store uncooked meats below cooked meats and salad vegetables to avoid dripping juices onto ready to eat food
store uncooked and cooked meats on different plates, avoid all contact between raw and cooked meats
thoroughly wash all salad vegetables and do not prepare them with utensils that have also been used for raw meat
children and the elderly who are particularly susceptible to the severe effects of STEC should avoid eating or drinking unpasteurised dairy products
people who have been ill should not prepare food for others for at least 48 hours after they have recovered
boil any drinking water if you are unsure of it's source
do not swim in water that you think may be contaminated by cattle and sheep in nearby fields
wash your hands thoroughly after using the toilet (or helping others including changing nappies), handling raw meat, before meals and after contact with animals
How to treat STEC
There is no specific treatment for STEC infection. The illness is usually self-limiting, and will clear itself within a week.
It's important to drink plenty of fluids as diarrhoea can lead to dehydration.
Antibiotics are not recommended and are likely to increase the risk of getting complications such as HUS.
Also, stay away from work or school until 48 hours after you've stopped vomiting or having diarrhoea.
Source: UK Health Security Agency
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
6 minutes ago
- The Independent
‘I don't regret I stopped breastfeeding to take Ozempic. I should have done it sooner'
I remember standing in the bathroom that October morning in 2023, exhausted, staring at the scale. The number – 88kg, or about 13 stone – hit harder than I expected. I wasn't shocked, exactly, but I had been avoiding the scale for months. Something about seeing that number in black and white made it feel official: I didn't look or feel like myself anymore. My maternity clothes were still too tight. My face was fuller, my body unfamiliar. The baby was here, and healthy and I was grateful for that. But I was lost. I'd been through this cycle before. When I became pregnant with my firstborn, Lewis, in early 2019, I weighed around 65kg, or three stone lighter, which is more or less where I'd always been. At 5ft8, that felt like home: a stable, healthy weight where I had a good relationship with food and with myself. I was in my early thirties – young enough to 'snap back' after pregnancy (or so I thought). Yet, I was more preoccupied with it than I imagined – after his beautiful birth (a low-stress C-section since he was breech), one of the first things I did was get on the scale. Yet I was baffled: how does a baby weighing seven pounds result in a loss of only five, I thought? Postpartum, I did drop a few more pounds, eventually to around 77kg or 12 stone, but never below that again. Granted, I didn't diet or exercise particularly aggressively – I'm not built that way – but I stayed stuck. Then, later into my thirties, came Luke, my second son. I stopped looking at the scales midway through. Regardless of the fact that my body was doing this miraculous thing, despite how overjoyed I felt to have two healthy boys, I couldn't prevent the wash of shame – and anxiety, disgust, even – that seeing '15 stone' on my record post-birth provoked. I carried guilt along with the extra weight. Breastfeeding was supposed to be straightforward. According to the thousands – the parenting circles, the health campaigns and comment sections – who religiously repeat the mantra, 'breast is best', and, they'll add, it burns calories! It'll help you lose your pregnancy weight! Yet, that's not exactly a proven theory – and, for so many women, it just doesn't work. Plus, behind the slogans lies a trap of judgment and internal conflict: women face pressure if they can't breastfeed and pressure if they do – especially beyond six months, pressure that is linked with increased postpartum anxiety. The moment that someone stops early, even pain-ridden or supply-stricken mothers, a new wave of judgment from formula-shaming peers, and even loved ones. Couple that shame, then, with the enduring stigma of postpartum weight loss, and with the new judgment du jour – using injectables like Ozempic. Behind closed doors, in hushed voices at the playground, there are plenty of us talking about it both in the US, where I live, and the UK. In fact, I've noticed an increase in women around me using injectables, some to get them back to their pre-pregnancy weight, many of them stopping breastfeeding to do so. Reportedly, though I've never been invited to any myself, there are WhatsApp groups for so-called 'sema[glutide]-mums' – and, though I was able to get mine through my own doctor and work benefits in the States, many end up paying through the nose for it themselves. But, in the end, like me, they had to put their own mental health first. For me, breastfeeding Lewis was agony: I had bleeding nipples, terrifying letdown pain, a baby who fed for ages and still seemed unsatisfied. I alternated between breastfeeding, pumping and formula. When nothing helped, I felt I had failed. When I switched fully to formula, I felt relief and – you guessed it – more shame. With Luke, I tried again: this time I battled low supply, consulted lactation consultants, fixed his tongue‑tie, used nipple shields – but still, nursing felt like torture. I couldn't sleep at night; the obsessive feeding schedule crushed every ounce of mental stability. Two pregnancies and years of disrupted sleep and self-care meant I was stuck. Not just in my body, but in the overwhelming pressure to 'snap back'. The idea that 'bouncing back' – re-emerging with their pre-baby bodies weeks after delivery – is only reinforced by media that praises celebrity mums who manage it, and highlights those who retain their postpartum weight as failures. There's a catch though, as we're now learning: you might be negligent if you remain overweight – but medicating to lose it? Also, not good enough. According to most (admittedly) literature and experts, taking Ozempic while breastfeeding is not recommended – while we know the substance transfers to milk, we don't know the effects that might have on the baby. I knew that, while some people take it alongside nursing their babies, I wouldn't have ever taken that risk. So, by October 2023, I had stopped breastfeeding Luke out of sheer discomfort and in an attempt to regain parts of myself I had lost. My energy was gone. My self-esteem teetered at the edge of collapse. Food noise was intolerable – breastfeeding had left me so hungry, and my hormones were all over the place. I would wake up in the night and eat a whole bag of sweets, or go to McDonald's and compulsively order 20 chicken McNuggets – it was all so out of character and out of control. I thought that taking my ADHD medication again – from which I'd abstained during breastfeeding – might help me shed a few pounds, but when it didn't, I went straight to plan B: Ozempic. I was lucky that I had people around me supporting me, some of whom, like my mother-in-law and a friend, had safely used weight loss injectables themselves. That made the decision seem less shameful. I chose the lowest dose (0.25mg) to begin with, and then doubled it. The shift was magical: within days, food stopped crowding my mind. I wasn't waking at night to binge. My appetite, finally, felt normal and I wasn't having destabilising side effects. My son was thriving on formula – finally happy to have more than enough to eat – and within weeks, I was slipping back into my pre-pregnancy clothes. And the success only continued. By the middle of last year, I was back down to around 10 stone. I'm not skinny – but that was never really my prerogative. More importantly, I felt stable, energetic, and I felt like myself again. I could chase my kids around, feel present and engaged. Ozempic was never laziness or a cop-out – it was medicine that helped me restore a version of myself I'd lost. Of course, the shame still lingers in some circles. There's one friend I know I'd never tell (though I wouldn't lie if she asked). Despite the fact that she's a nurse, she made very strong comments about being 'against' the drugs when I was first going on them (I found it interesting to find out that she took them herself around six months later and lost 10kg). Some friends I've never told because they've never asked, others think I lost the weight another way, oblivious to the internal struggle I had to wage. It's not unusual to be discreet about it – judgment is still rife and, sometimes, you just have to protect your own peace. It's why the 'secret jabbers' (people feeling pressured to hide their Ozempic use) phenomenon is so widespread. Somehow, it's seen as a moral failing of sorts to use it over diet or 'self-control'. As a result, experts are calling for weight-loss medication to be understood as treating a chronic condition, not as a so-called shortcut. I believe that women should be able to make their own informed decisions about their own babies and their own bodies. I don't regret stopping breastfeeding early. I also don't regret taking Ozempic. These choices helped me reclaim my body and my mental health. They gave me energy, restored my confidence, and let me move freely in my life again. The more women who hear this without stigma – that whatever choice you make will be best for you and your baby – the more women who hopefully will avoid spiralling in private shame. Maybe someone will feel more at ease skipping another painful feeding session, or feel brave enough to ask their doctor about weight-loss medication without embarrassment. Ultimately, a cultural shift is needed: less 'fat talk', more celebration of postpartum diversity. Fewer whispers of 'just eat less' and more acceptance of body change – especially the radical transformation that pregnancy and birth prompts – as a part of life. Let's say that freedom from food noise is worthy. Some women might find healing through treadmill miles, others through letting go of milk and allowing a drug to help them reset. That's me and I can say, hand on heart, that it's been nothing short of life-changing for me. Currently, I weigh around 68kg (10.5 stone). I don't feel fat. I don't feel ashamed. I do feel healthy. And I do feel at peace with myself and able to enjoy being a hands-on mum. I'm still trying to find balance – some days I eat better and move my body more than others, but that's OK. I learned that my worth isn't tied to the size of my jeans or anyone else's opinion about that. The only regret I have is not doing it all sooner.
The Guardian
6 minutes ago
- The Guardian
I lost my hearing in one ear and I'm worried I won't find a new job
I am a 50-year-old man. After a long-term disease, I had my inner ear removed, and then lost my job due to incapacity. I have hearing in one ear, am waiting for an implant and wear aids, which help. I felt lost for a few years, but I got fit and slowly regrouped, and ended up doing an apprenticeship. Now it is coming to an end, I am worried about applying for jobs, having to prove myself again against healthy people half my age. Sometimes I wake in the night panicking. I want to cry most of the time. I just want someone to say it will be OK and help me. But I'm not sure who to ask. My biggest fear is putting strain on my wife and kids again. I can't drive due to the illness and operation, so I am already at a loss as to which jobs I can apply for. After being ill for so long I lost a lot of friends, who just didn't get it. I think the new situation is triggering a lot of that hurt. Facing a long-term disease and loss of hearing is tough. You have already really helped yourself. I went to emergency planner Prof Lucy Easthope, and the RNID, the national charity supporting people who are deaf or have hearing loss or tinnitus (which is one in three adults in the UK). Easthope has written a book you may find helpful called Come What May: Life-Changing Lessons for Coping with Crisis. The first thing she said was: 'Bloody well done. We often need to hear that, but no one says it. You've been incredibly brave doing the apprenticeship.' She felt you were using 'pessimism as protection, which can actually be really helpful as long as it doesn't sabotage, because you have to be ready for things to not go entirely right. And there are reasons things might not go right that shouldn't be linked to your self-esteem.' She gave the example of people after adversity 'going for total reinvention and not being realistic, like going for jobs they can't do and maybe could never do. If the job isn't right for you, then you probably won't get it.' She also felt that: 'What you are going through is bigger than what happens next; the dreams you have had to give up on.' She suggested 'speaking out loud the monsters that keep you awake at night so you can explore them'. Who previously made things OK for you? Is there someone you can talk to? I'm sure your wife would welcome you letting her in, but if not, a good friend or a family member? I'm sorry your friends didn't get it. Lots of people don't, but often it's not ill intent, just ignorance (and laziness to not find out what you need). Sign up to Inside Saturday The only way to get a look behind the scenes of the Saturday magazine. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers as well as all the must-read articles and columns, delivered to your inbox every weekend. after newsletter promotion Little by little, things can and will shift. Health crises can really throw us, and it can take a long time to adapt and redefine ourselves. It also sounds like you are a bit afraid of letting others in, but talking about things is how we process. No one can say this is going to be 100% OK, but slowly you may realise that there will be OK-ness, joy and hope. You can cry if you need to. The RNID recommended looking for employers who have signed up to the Disability Confident scheme. And added: 'Remember that under the Equality Act 2010, employers have a legal duty to support individuals, including those who are deaf or have hearing loss.' The RNID has lots more info, and the charity Hearing Link Services offers peer support sessions. Easthope said that you might imagine younger people without your issues wouldn't be afraid but, trust us, they are. Everyone is with a new start. You've done amazingly well. This wasn't what you planned, but it's where you've found yourself. You're not the same person you were at the beginning of this journey, because you've already found great resources within yourself. Every week, Annalisa Barbieri addresses a personal problem sent in by a reader. If you would like advice from Annalisa, please send your problem to Annalisa regrets she cannot enter into personal correspondence. Submissions are subject to our terms and conditions. The latest series of Annalisa's podcast is available here. Comments on this piece are pre-moderated to ensure the discussion remains on the topics raised by the article. Please be aware that there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site.
BBC News
6 minutes ago
- BBC News
Inflatable 'mega lungs' promote cancer screening in Cambridge
A set of 12ft (3.65m) "mega lungs" are set to go on show in a city as part of a special screening programme and to raise awareness of University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been working with the Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, funding research and discovering new ways to diagnose and treat the and former smokers living in and around Cambridge - aged between 55 and 74 - are being invited for a free NHS lung cancer screening. The hospital trust said the giant inflatable lungs would be on show at Parker's Piece on 15 August from 10:00 BST to 16:00. About 2,000 people had benefited from the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme since it launched in Peterborough and Huntingdon in February. 'Save your life' Lung cancer causes more deaths than any other cancer in the UK. There are often no signs or symptoms of the disease at an early hospital trust added that individuals would receive an invitation if they were eligible for the part of the NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme, all eligible people were expected to receive an invitation for a lung health check by 2029. Robert Rintoul, Professor of Thoracic Oncology in the Department of Oncology at the University of Cambridge, said: "I would urge that if you are aged 55 to 74 and have ever smoked, to please make sure your GP records show this, and if you receive an invitation for screening, please do not ignore it as it could save your life."Paula Chadwick, chief executive officer of Roy Castle Lung Cancer Foundation, said: "We are delighted to be working with the NHS team in Cambridge to promote the importance of screening."If you have any questions about lung cancer or the screening programme, please come down to Parker's Piece on 15 August and talk to our team. It could save your life," she trust said people would receive a phone assessment to talk through health and smoking history before they were offered a follow-up assessment and scan on a mobile unit. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
