Doctor issues stark 'much worse' warning in E.coli outbreak amid major food recalls

A leading doctor has issued a stark warning after more than 60 food items were recalled by manufacturers amid fears of a possible E.coli outbreak.

Last night (Sunday) the manufacturer THIS! became the third company to recall a product as a “precautionary measure” amid the scare. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said the manufacturer has issued a recall notice to customers over its vegan chicken and bacon wrap, which is sold only at WH Smith.

The agency said anyone who purchased the product at any point up to and including Tuesday, June 18, should not eat it and instead return it to the store for a full refund.

READ MORE: All 61 food items recalled in major E.Coli alert as new company affected

It comes just days after manufacturers Greencore Group and Samworth Brothers Manton Wood recalled a variety of sandwiches, wraps and salads sold in major UK supermarkets because of a potential link to an E.coli outbreak that has left people across the UK in hospital. A total of 61 products have now been recalled.

This morning (Monday) Dr Sarah Pitt, a virologist at the University of Brighton, has warned the illness caused by an outbreak of E.coli is “much worse” in young children, elderly people and those with underlying conditions in their immune system

Dr Pitt told BBC Breakfast: “If you do have diarrhoea, just try not to pass it on to other people, be very careful about your own health, but also be mindful of the people around you because this illness is much worse in young children, elderly, people who have some underlying condition in their immune system as we often see with these infectious diseases.

“So just keep an eye out for people that you know, just to make sure they’re not getting any worse if they have diarrhoea as well.”

Dr Pitt said that by looking at the dates, she thinks people ate the contaminated foods potentially in half-term, or the weeks just around it.

She added: “So people may have been out and about doing slightly different things, you know, slightly out of the ordinary.”

Dr Pitt said to protect yourself, take recalled sandwiches back to the shop as per advice, wash pre-prepared bag salad, fruits and vegetables and cook them thoroughly, remember good hand hygiene, and if you have diarrhoea do not go to work or visit elderly relatives or people with young children.

Symptoms

According to the NHS, symptoms of food poisoning include:

• feeling sick

• diarrhoea

• being sick

• stomach cramps

• a high temperature of 38C or above

• feeling generally unwell – such as feeling tired or having aches and chills

Symptoms usually start within a few days of eating the food that caused the infection, the NHS said, but sometimes they may start after a few hours or not for a few weeks.

Symptoms of food poisoning usually pass within a week. The most important thing is to have lots of fluids, such as water or squash, to avoid dehydration.