EHEC Outbreak News - Expecting more cases in Germany

The E.coli bacteria has claimed 14 lives and infected more than 300 hundred in the country. It has now spread to other European states.

Facing an increasing number of cases, German health authorities warned people to avoid eating raw cucumber, tomatoes and lettuce.

Reinhard Burger, President of Robert Koch Institute, said, "As for the present situation there is no reason to give the all-clear yet and it is possible the original source of the infection is still active and could lead to further infections."

The first cases of the EHEC outbreak were noticed in Northern Germany, but infections are now spreading across the country.

Cases haves spiked compared to other years, and are still rising.

Daniel Bahr, German Health Minister, said, "The result is that we unfortunately still have to prepare for a rising number of cases. Exercising caution is still recommended and we ask our citizens to be particularly careful. "

But, the German government says it's working around the clock to stop the outbreak and clarify how it arose.

Ilse Aigner, German Agriculture Minister, said, "Together, we face a big challenge to piece together hundreds or thousands of mosaic pieces from Germany and abroad into an overall picture that gives us a clear answer on how this terrible infection arose. "

In the meantime, experts are advising not to eat pre-packaged or prepared salad, which may contain the bacteria.