As of 18 June, there have been a further 45 cases associated with the recent outbreak of STEC O145 since the last update (14 June), bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 256 in the UK. All currently confirmed cases had symptom onset dates before 31 May. Although the rate of cases has now slowed, we expect the figure to rise as NHS laboratories refer specimens to UKHSA for genomic sequencing which can link cases to this outbreak strain.
Confirmed case totals:
- 168 in England
- 56 in Scotland
- 29 in Wales
- 3 in Northern Ireland (evidence suggests that they acquired their infection in England)
Based on information from 227 cases to date, 38% were admitted to hospital.
Investigations have highlighted pre-packaged sandwich products containing lettuce as the likely source of the outbreak.
FoodWorld 