Health Law

Agency Report on U.K. Petting Zoo E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak Due

By David Babcock

A report on last summer's outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 , traced to the Godstone Farm in Surrey, U.K. is due shortly, according to the BBC.   Ninety-three people, mostly young children, were sickened in the outbreak.  

The inquiry was ordered by the Health Protection Agency.  The Agency was criticized for a slow response to the problem.  According to BBC:

The independent inquiry looked into how the outbreak occurred and the role of the regulatory agencies.  The farm was not closed until a month after the first case .During this time tens of thousands of people would have passed through it.  Some of the people affected are still ill with kidney damage and a group of parents are preparing to launch legal action for damages.

Outbreaks of zoonotic disease, generally, and E. coli O157:H7 in particular, has been a problem in both the U.K. and the U.S. that has been documented for over 20 years.  

Full post as published by Food Poison Blog on June 15, 2010 (boomark / email).