In the ongoing outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O145, the United Kingdom has reported a further 19 cases since the last update a week ago. This brings the total number of confirmed cases to 275. Notably, all currently confirmed cases had symptom onset dates before June 4.
Geographic Distribution of Cases:
• England: 182 cases
• Scotland: 58 cases
• Wales: 31 cases
• Northern Ireland: 4 cases (with evidence suggesting infection acquisition in England)
Hospital Admissions: Based on information from 249 cases to date, approximately 49% of patients were admitted to hospitals.
Fatalities: Through surveillance efforts, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has identified two individuals in England who died within 28 days of infection with the STEC outbreak strain. Health service clinicians believe that one of these deaths is likely linked to the STEC infection. Both individuals had underlying medical conditions, and the deaths occurred in May.
While case reporting rates are declining, health authorities anticipate more cases to be linked to this outbreak as additional samples are referred from NHS laboratories and whole genome sequencing continues.
