E-coli: Source of outbreak believed to have been found

Published

3 months ago

June 18, 2024

admin

An E.coli outbreak that has made more than 200 people sick has been traced to lettuce – so is it safe to eat?

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) told Sky News it is “too early to determine” how the lettuce leaves may have become contaminated – but it is “confident” that is the source.

Three companies have recalled dozens of sandwiches and wraps sold at supermarkets as a precautionary measure.

So how can lettuce end up carrying E.coli – and does this mean a summer without salad?

How could it happen?

There are three main ways lettuce leaves could have been contaminated with E.coli, according to Professor Jim Monaghan, professor of crop science at Harper Adams University in Shropshire.

E.coli “essentially wants to be inside the guts of warm-blooded animals”, he says, but pathogenic strains can be found in between 10-15% of dairy herds – which means a minority of manure is contaminated with it.

That manure – and the E.coli it carries – can end up on lettuce leaves in cases of direct contamination.

In cases of indirect contamination, the bacteria may get into the soil or water and be transferred to the lettuce that way.

How do farmers prevent contamination?

If farmers use manure to fertilise a field, they have to wait at least a year before they can plant lettuce there.

They must also test the water they are using for irrigation to see if E.coli is present.

“For a lettuce grower, if you’re irrigating a crop with water, if you’re not comfortable drinking that water, then you wouldn’t be irrigating the crop,” Prof Monaghan tells Sky News.

That doesn’t mean they need to irrigate with chlorine-treated tap water, he adds, but it must meet an “acceptable standard”.

Salad growers will also risk assess their sites and avoid planting salad in any areas prone to flooding to avoid potential water contamination.

The FSA has not revealed whether the lettuce came from a UK-based farm or was imported from abroad.

The latest figures show 211 cases of E-coli have been confirmed as of 11 June – and at least 67 people have required hospital treatment.

Should you be worried about eating lettuce?

Prof Monaghan says he hasn’t changed his lettuce-buying habits in response to the recent outbreak.

“I have a bag of spinach and two whole head lettuces in my fridge at the moment. So knowing what I know about how UK growers manage their risks, to me that’s fine,” he says.

“But clearly something’s gone wrong.”

However, he notes a couple of things – beyond the usual rules growers must follow – that have reassured him about buying salad.

“One is it would appear that the product that’s caused a problem has left the supply chain,” he says.

The second is that everyone involved in salad production – from growers to salad and sandwich manufacturers – will be “sampling like crazy”.

Does washing salad leaves get rid of E.coli?

Once it reaches the factory, lettuce will be rinsed to remove surface contamination. Then chlorine is used to reduce the level of bacteria before it is rinsed again.

That is “effective to a certain extent”, Prof Monaghan says, but it does not eliminate bacteria entirely.

The same goes for washing lettuce at home – it will reduce the amount of bacteria, but not get rid of it.

How does the weather have an impact?

The recent wet weather could have created conditions where E.coli can more easily survive.

On a hot, sunny day, leaves will dry off quickly, reducing the chance of water contamination.

They will also be irradiated by UV rays, killing bacteria.

But on wet, overcast days, there is not the same opportunity for bacteria to be killed off, Prof Monaghan says.

We have had a damp start to the summer – and similar weather has been seen in Spain, Italy and France – all countries that import lettuce to the UK.

Why is it so difficult to trace the root cause?

Darren Whitby, head of incidents at the FSA, said identifying the source of the E.coli was a “complex and ongoing investigation”.

Part of the reason it’s so difficult to trace is because the contaminated products are a very small proportion of the sandwiches on supermarket shelves, Prof Monaghan says.

Then there’s the fact the products in question have a shelf life of days.

“Two days after a sandwich is made, you won’t find that sandwich again,” Prof Monaghan says.

“It’s either been eaten or it’s been taken off the shelf.”

The FSA has been investigating the issue along with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), Food Standards Scotland and devolved public health agencies, businesses and local authorities.

Through epidemiological investigations and whole genome sequence analysis, they narrowed down the common foods consumed by people who had fallen ill to a small number of salad leaf products used in sandwiches, wraps, subs and rolls.

Dozens of products were recalled; while no E.coli had been found in them, it was a “precautionary measure” in case they were contaminated.

The fact E.coli was not found in the products indicates it has left the supply chain. “There’s no smoking gun,” Prof Monaghan says.

UK

Dame Maggie Smith, known for her roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, has died

Published

10 hours ago

September 27, 2024

admin

Dame Maggie Smith, known for her roles in Harry Potter and Downton Abbey, has died at the age of 89, her sons have said.

The actress died in hospital, her children Chris Larkin and Toby Stephens said.

In a statement, they said: “An intensely private person, she was with friends and family at the end. She leaves two sons and five loving grandchildren who are devastated by the loss of their extraordinary mother and grandmother.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank the wonderful staff at the Chelsea and Westminster Hospital for their care and unstinting kindness during her final days.

“We thank you for all your kind messages and support and ask that you respect our privacy at this time.”

Born in Essex in 1934, Dame Maggie became an internationally recognised actress – one of the most versatile, accomplished and meticulous actresses of her generation.

Her first significant accolade came after playing the fanatical teacher in The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie in 1969, which won her a best actress Oscar and BAFTA.

Her second Oscar came for her role in California Suite in 1978 which won her a best supporting actress trophy, as well as a Golden Globe.

More recently she won a new generation of fans as Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham, in Downton Abbey and playing Professor Minerva McGonagall in the Harry Potter movies.

Although she was a tour de force in leading roles on the West End stage, she was equally happy – even during the years of her mega-stardom – to accept supporting roles, particularly in films.

The Downton Abbey TV series won her a series of awards – three Emmys, a Golden Globe, and four Screen Actors Guild Awards.

TV presenter Gyles Brandreth has led the tributes, describing her as “wise, witty, waspish, wonderful” and “one of a kind in every way”.

Sir Keir Starmer posted on X that Dame Maggie was a “true national treasure whose work will be cherished for generations to come” while former prime minister Rishi Sunak described her as “an icon of the stage and screen”.

Meanwhile a message posted by BAFTA said: “Dame Maggie was a legend of British stage and screen, winning five BAFTAs as well as a BAFTA Special Award and BAFTA Fellowship during her highly acclaimed career.”

She took Maggie as her stage name because another Margaret Smith was active in the theatre. She was 18 when she first appeared on stage, in Twelfth Night.

Laurence Olivier spotted her talent, invited her to be part of his original National Theatre company and cast her as his co-star in a 1965 film adaptation of Othello.

Some of her best-known movies included: Young Cassidy in 1966, Death On The Nile in 1979, Quartet in 1982, The Secret Garden in 1994, Tea With Mussolini in 2000, Gosford Park in 2002, and The Lady In The Van in 2016.

She married fellow actor Robert Stephens in 1967. They had two sons and divorced in 1975. The same year she married the writer Beverley Cross, who died in 1998. She was made a Dame in 1990.

This breaking news story is being updated and more details will be published shortly.

Please refresh the page for the fullest version.

You can receive breaking news alerts on a smartphone or tablet via the Sky News app. You can also follow @SkyNews on X or subscribe to our YouTube channel to keep up with the latest news.

UK

UK weather: Met Office issues 185 warnings for flooding as M5 motorway closed and drivers abandon cars

Published

12 hours ago

September 27, 2024

admin

UK weather: Met Office issues 185 warnings for flooding as M5 motorway closed and drivers abandon cars

More than 180 flood warnings and alerts are in place across England this morning after days of heavy rain – forcing the closure of a motorway as drivers abandoned their cars.

The Met Office said northern and central parts of England and Wales had been hit hardest, resulting in widespread travel disruption across Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Leicestershire and the West Midlands.

As of this morning, the Environment Agency had 66 flood warnings in place across England, meaning flooding is expected, and 119 flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible.

A new yellow weather warning for strong winds was later issued for the south west of England and Wales on Sunday.

Disruption is likely as winds strengthen from west to east during Sunday, with gusts of 50-55 mph likely in places, exceeding 60mph in the most exposed areas.

The Met Office said this would be accompanied by outbreaks of rain, heavy at times, which could lead to some surface water and spray.

An earlier yellow rain warning for large parts of England and Wales ended at 9am this morning, with a separate amber warning for areas of the Midlands and south expiring at 6am.

Meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said localised flooding would continue despite the warnings ending.

Check latest weather forecast where you are

He said: “A lot of these areas have been hit by rain in the past few weeks, which means the ground is already saturated.”

While the Met Office expects the weather to “ease up and become a bit drier”, some areas will still be dealing with the aftermath of the heavy rain.

“Rivers often take time to respond, so we’re expecting disruption to continue in central and southern parts throughout the morning. Those planning to travel on Friday should factor this into their journey times,” Mr Dewhurst said.

Commuters faced significant disruptions this morning, with heavy rain and flooding causing problems to roads and rail services.

Rail services between Shrewsbury in Shropshire and Wolverhampton in the West Midlands were cancelled, with disruption expected all morning, after severe flooding at Wellington station and a tree on the line.

Images posted on social media showed tracks at a train station in Shropshire completely submerged and abandoned cars on an empty motorway in Gloucestershire.

Avon Fire and Rescue also said this morning that it was rescuing people stranded on the M5 in Gloucestershire, which remains closed northbound between junction 16 and junction 14 because of flooding.

The motorway had reopened southbound between J14 and J15, but hour-long delays and up to four miles of congestion were still expected in both directions.

One football club has appealed for help getting their grounds “straightened up and dried out” after heavy rainfall on Thursday evening.

Non-league team AFC Telford United in Shropshire posted photos and videos on social media of significant flooding at their pitch and gym facilities.

Councils and emergency services in Northamptonshire and Hertfordshire said several roads had to be closed but reassured residents they were working to keep people safe overnight.

Tewkesbury Borough Council, in Gloucestershire, has been handing out sandbags to residents to help protect their homes against flooding.

The rain will ease this afternoon and is set to usher in much colder conditions on Saturday, the Met Office said.

Meanwhile, Oxford residents were subject to even stranger weather when a tornado-like feature was spotted in the sky on Thursday.

The Met Office believes it is a funnel cloud, which can become a tornado if the bottom of the structure makes contact with the ground.

Several other funnel clouds have been reported to the Met Office in various locations this week, it said.

UK

Shaun Rooney: St Mirren defender charged with assaulting woman in Glasgow takeaway

Published

12 hours ago

September 27, 2024

admin

Shaun Rooney: St Mirren defender charged with assaulting woman in Glasgow takeaway

St Mirren defender Shaun Rooney has been charged with assaulting a woman as well as a breach of the peace against a man in a Glasgow city centre takeaway.

The Scottish Premiership side announced on Thursday the 28-year-old had been suspended on a “precautionary basis” after he reported the alleged incident to his bosses.

In a statement, the Paisley club vowed to “undertake a full investigation” and said it would be making “no further comment during this process”.

On Friday, Police Scotland confirmed Rooney had been arrested and charged and is due to appear at the city’s sheriff court at a later date.

The force said: “A 28-year-old man was arrested and charged in connection with an assault on an 18-year-old woman and a breach of the peace against an 18-year-old man in takeaway premises on Queen Street, Glasgow, in the early hours of Thursday 19 September 2024.

“He was released on an undertaking to appear at Glasgow Sheriff Court at a later date.

“A report will be submitted to the Procurator Fiscal.”

Rooney began his career in the youth set-up at Dundee United and has played for a number of teams including Dunfermline Athletic, Inverness Caledonian Thistle and St Johnstone.

He returned to Scottish football this summer following a two-year contract with Fleetwood Town in Lancashire, England – where former Celtic captain Scott Brown was manager for a spell.