Victims of the E Coli outbreak have criticised Public Health England for not doing more to publicise the true extent of the E Coli outbreak, and the risks of the bug.
Did PHE do enough regarding E Coli outbreak?
The PHE stressed it had thoroughly investigated every case but had not been able to find a common source between the cases through July and August.
A family member of a victim has said, ‘Why does it need a newspaper to get involved for PHE to do something? They could have let people know about the symptoms and what to look out for weeks or months ago.’
The relative spoke of the condition his granddaughter is in since catching the bug, ‘We are just keeping everything crossed at the moment. It’s so heartbreaking to walk in and see her hooked up to all these machines.’
A spokesperson for the PHE said they had been proactive but added that this does not always entail engaging with media.
‘PHE actively investigates each case when it occurs and follows up and screens any contacts/premises to identify possible carriage of the bacteria,’ a statement said.
‘This was completed for each case identified since July 2014. The cases in July and August had no common source and were not linked by any common factors.The next cases were identified in October. Some of these attend a nursery.
‘All these cases were investigated in the same way and information was provided at that time to parents at the nursery with advice on how to reduce risk of infection.
‘All cases and their close contacts have been extensively interviewed in an attempt to identify any possible common source but so far this remains unknown.
‘E coli bacteria can be found in many different environments and this is why we routinely issue reminders about the importance of good hand hygiene and ensuring food is prepared and cooked safely.’
