# 5625
Although German authorities are hopeful that the peak of the EHEC or Shiga-Toxin Producing E. Coli outbreak has now passed, the latest ECDC update reports one new fatality since yesterday, and nearly 70 new cases.
Outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli in Germany (13 June, 11:00)
13 Jun 2011
With an incubation period of up to 2-weeks, it is considered likely that more cases (and perhaps more deaths) will be reported before this outbreak completely burns itself out.
Meanwhile, Spiegel Online is reporting that as many as 100 people who developed the life-threatening complication called HUS (Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome) experienced severe enough kidney damage to either need life-long dialysis or a kidney transplant.
06/13/2011
Long-Term Impact of E. Coli Outbreak
Expert Warns 100 Patients Will Need New Kidneys or Dialysis
While the source of the infection has been traced to a specific sprout farm in lower Saxony, exactly how their sprouts came to be contaminated has not been established.
Health authorities warn that sprout seeds may harbor the bacteria, which reproduce rapidly during the sprouting process, and warn that home growers should not consume their produce raw.
