Death in Scotland attributed to E. coli outbreak

Dana Forsythe
·1 min read
UPI
A person in Scotland has died from E. coli infection, following a months-long outbreak of the bacterial infection across the United Kingdom. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Dec. 29 (UPI) -- A person in Scotland has died from E. coli infection, following a months-long outbreak of the bacterial infection across the UK.

The UK Health Security Agency did not provide details about the person's age or sex, or whether they had underlying health conditions, according to the BBC. It is not clear yet whether the death was caused by food.

The UK health agency has confirmed 30 E. coli cases across England and Scotland since late July, with the majority in December. Those infected with the Shiga toxin-producing E. coli were people aged between 7 and 81, and some needed hospital care, according to Food Safety News.

The Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland previously warned people that a type of raw milk cheese made by Mrs. Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese Ltd. may be contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli

The standards agency earlier this week announced that Mrs. Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese Ltd. had begun recalling several of its products because they might contain E. coli.

In a statement, Mrs. Kirkham's Lancashire Cheese said the move was a "precautionary measure, based on information we only received around teatime" on Christmas Day.

Symptoms of infection can vary in severity, ranging from mild diarrhea to severe abdominal cramps, vomiting and bloody diarrhea. health officials said.