First STEC bacterial infection in Brussels

There has been a first STEC bacterial infection detected in Brussels, reported BRUZZ. The Brussels welfare service Iriscare confirmed this first case in Brussels, part of a broader outbreak in Belgian nursing homes. The health service Vivalis is currently investigating the origin of the bacteria detected in Brussels.

STEC, or Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, is a bacterial infection that can cause mild symptoms, including diarrhoea or sometimes bloody diarrhoea. The bacterium is often transmitted through food. The elderly are particularly vulnerable, so outbreaks in care homes are especially concerning.

No confirmed E. coli infections yet in Wallonia

Health authorities in the Belgian region of Wallonia are investigating a suspected outbreak of the STEC (Shiga toxin-producing E. coli) bacterium...

belganewsagency.eu

The bacterial infection was already detected in six Flemish residential care centres. There is also a suspected infection in a care home in Ottignies, Walloon Brabant. In the whole of Belgium, around twenty infections have already been detected.

The first case in Brussels was reported at the Brussels health authority Vivalis, which is investigating the matter further. The infection is believed to have occurred in a residential care home in Brussels, although it is not yet clear which one.

^{Illustration © PHOTO IMAGEBROKER}

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