haemolytic-uraemic syndrome

already, 16 people have been killed and more than 1,000 sick in germany, as well as people from spain, sweden, britain, denmark, france and the netherlands who had recently been in germany*.

*updated as at may 31, 2011.

a scene from a movie about a viral outbreak?

yes, i definitely wish it were so but this is a real life scenario that has happened in germany (and reported in today's edition of the straits times) due to a virulent form of e. coli bacteria seemingly linked to infected cucumbers which has been dubbed as 'killer cucumbers' from spain.

this has led to haemolytic-uraemic syndrome* which affects the blood, kidneys and nervous system and is the largest ever in germany and the biggest of it's kind worldwide.

*from wikipedia:

Hemolytic-uremic syndrome (or haemolytic-uraemic syndrome), abbreviated HUS, is a disease characterized by hemolytic anemia, acute renal failure (uremia) and a low platelet count (thrombocytopenia). It predominantly but not exclusively affects children. Most cases are preceded by an episode of diarrhea caused by E. coli O157:H7, which is acquired as a foodborne illness. It is a medical emergency and carries a 5–10% mortality; of the remainder, the majority recover without major consequences but a small proportion develop chronic kidney disease and become reliant on renal replacement therapy. HUS was first defined as a syndrome in 1955.

my comments:

on this latest outbreak in germany, our ava (agri-food and veterinary authority) of singapore said singapore does not import cucumbers from germany and spain and would place "leafy vegetables, cucumbers and tomatoes from germany and spain under hold-and-test, should there be such imports".

drawing an almost similar parallel here will bring to recent memory in may this year where a total of >200 children and teachers were hit by food poisoning using the same caterer, mum's kitchen which had it's licence suspended by the NEA and remains closed for business.

a medical practitioner suggested that the ministry of health and NEA continue to vaccinate all food handlers against salmonella. but mr derek ho (NEA) and dr jeffrey cutter from the ministry of health replied in the forum page of the straits times as to why typhoid jabs won't prevent food poisonin and that food poisioning outbreaks are commonly caused by non-typhoid salmonella and other pathogens.

and because singapore has a very low incidence of typhoid fever and food handlers are not at increased risk of acute typhoid infection even without the typhoid vaccination.

and the mainstay in the control of food-borne diseases will still lie in the maintenance of high standards of food and personal hygiene practices, rather than typhoid vaccination.

however, be that as it may, whenever we dine outside our home, we will always be exposed to the risk of food poisoning and worst, when we travel, like the tourists and citizens who are now in germany, the current outbreak of hus cannot be ignored and has to be taken very seriously because far too many people have already been infected.

and if we look again at all the inherent risks that is part and parcel of life, then the best love letter than we can gift to our family and loved ones should surely be in the form of taking up insurance.