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Kuwait free of deadly E. coli infection |
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News -
Health
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Sunday, 05 June 2011 23:36 |
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KUWAIT, June 5 (KUNA) -- The Health Ministry here on Sunday reaffirmed that the country is free of the deadly E. coli infection.
The ministry, in a statement, said that local food monitoring bodies have confirmed that all fruit and vegetables in Kuwaiti markets are free of the bacteria; scientifically known as Escherichia coli, a Gram-negative, rod-shaped bacterium that is commonly found in the lower intestine of warm-blooded organisms.
Outbreak of the infections first emerged in Germany and other European countries and recently in the United States, and so far resulted in the killing of at least 18 people since May 2.
The statement added that the ministry is running its epidemic research in cooperation with the World Health Organization (WHO) and in coordination with healthcare bodies in GCC countries.
It also pointed out that health monitoring procedures will be applied on arrivals to Kuwait, especially the ones coming from members of the European Union.
WHO, according to the statement, did not recommend forcing any restrictions on traveling to European countries, yet it cautioned from eating vegetables and fruit originated from there.
More than 1,700 people in Germany have been infected, including 520 suffering from a life-threatening complication that can cause kidney failure. Ten other European nations and the US have reported 90 other cases, all but two related to visits in northern Germany.- Kuna
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