In several residential care homes in Flemish Brabant and the regions around Antwerp and Aalst, around 20 residents have fallen ill due to a STEC infection, a variant of the E. coli bacterium. Five people have now died, although it is not certain that the infection was the direct cause of death. The FASFC (The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain), the Flemish care department and federal health institute Sciensano have launched an investigation.
Initially, four confirmed STEC infections were detected in two residential care homes in Leuven (Flemish Brabant). The care department had reports of 21 STEC infections in six residential care homes in Flemish Brabant, Antwerp and the Aalst region on Thursday morning, but in the course of the day this figure rose further.
‘Over the past few days and hours, we have received several reports of residents in residential care homes with symptoms indicative of a STEC infection,’ says Joris Moonens, spokesperson for the care department.
‘We currently have three residential care homes in Leuven, one residential care centre in the Aalst region and two residential care centres in the Antwerp region where residents have been confirmed or are very likely to have fallen ill due to this type of E. coli bacteria.’
The number of confirmed cases is likely to increase in the coming days.
Four residents have died
At least four people have died, although it is not always possible to attribute this directly to the infection. ‘These are elderly people who already had other conditions and who could not cope with the infection.’
Common source
A total of 20 residents and one member of staff are affected. Most of these patients fell ill between 18 and 25 August. Research shows that the infections can be traced back to the same serotype of the bacterium, which points to a common source.
Infections usually occur through food. ‘We are currently investigating the entire food consumption in the various residential care centres where infections have occurred,’ says Liesbeth Van de Voorde of the FASFC. ‘We are looking at what was on the menu and, in the best-case scenario, if there are any leftovers from meals that have been consumed.’
Samples from these leftovers can then be taken. These must be traced and investigated. ‘This can take several days. It is still too early in our investigation to identify a probable source of the infections.’
What is STEC bacteria?
A STEC infection may be asymptomatic, but it can also cause diarrhoea, headaches and fever. The kidneys may also be affected.
Human-to-human transmission is possible, but less likely. The infection usually spreads through contaminated food. For people in residential care homes, who are often already in poor health, a STEC infection can be serious.
In residential care homes with infections, people with symptoms are isolated from other residents and extra attention is paid to hand and general hygiene.