Dorset has been ranked as the third highest hotspot for E.coli in the country, according to research by chemist-4-u.com.Between September 2017 and September 2018, 733 cases of E.coli were recorded by the NHS Dorset Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
Birmingham and Solihull CCG recorded the highest number of cases with 987, followed by Northern, Eastern and Weston Devon CCG in second with 781 recorded cases.
E.coli is a type of bacteria common in human and animal intestines, and forms part of the bacteria that exist in the bowel.Symptoms of E.coli include stomach cramps, diarrhoea, blood in diarrhoea, and occasionally a fever.
There are a number of different types of E.coli and, while the majority are harmless, some can cause serious food poisoning and serious infection.
In October, two children from the same family died after contracting E.coli. The pair died from a complication of E.coli called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) which affects the kidneys.
The bacteria appears to be on the rise. 3791 cases were recorded in the 12 months to September this year across 195 CCGs in England, compared with 3535 during the same period the year before.
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