The Norwegian Food Safety Authority states that they have been informed about the outbreak by the Norwegian Institute of Public Health (FHI). The six who are infected happen to be in different parts of the country. Two are infected in Rogaland, one in Vestland, Viken, Trøndelag and Oslo. Two of them fell ill in October and November 2022, while the other four fell ill in February, March and May this year. None of them has developed a serious illness. Both the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, FHI, the Veterinary Institute and the municipal supervisors are now working together to investigate the outbreak. It is currently unknown what the source of infection is, but it is common for gastrointestinal bacteria to become infected through food, reports the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. It is the gastrointestinal bacterium EHEC that has been detected in six people. Searching for the source of infection – None of them have developed a serious illness. They are aged 14–49, and five of them are men, FHI reports. E. coli is an intestinal bacterium that occurs naturally in the intestines of animals and humans. The bacteria are usually harmless, but some varieties of E. coli have properties that mean they can cause illness, writes the Norwegian Food Safety Authority. FHI has a theory that the source of infection is food with a long shelf life. – The people who have been diagnosed with the bacteria live in five counties and they have been infected at various times over a long period. We therefore assumed that they were infected through a food product that is distributed throughout the country and has a relatively long shelf life, says doctor Hilde Marie Lund at FHI. They conduct interviews with the persons to assess whether they may have a common source of infection. – We cannot say whether this is a limited outbreak or whether there may be new cases. Investigative work can be complicated and take time, and in many cases we are unable to find the source of infection or to clarify whether it is a common source. The bacteria found in the infected have a similar genetic profile. – We follow the situation closely and work closely with the municipal health service, the Norwegian Food Safety Authority and the Veterinary Institute, says Lund. Preventive measures Turid Berglund in the Norwegian Food Safety Authority points out that good kitchen hygiene and good hand hygiene are important preventive measures. – It can prevent the spread of disease-causing bacteria between foodstuffs and between people. If you are sick with diarrhea, you should also avoid cooking for others. A generally good piece of advice is to heat treat food, says Berglund. She points out that sufficient boiling or deep-frying kills the bacteria. Some fruit and vegetables cannot be heat treated. Then the recommendation is to clean and wash them well. It is also an advantage if you dry them before eating them.
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