Germans unhappy with handling of E. coli crisis
Source: Agencies |
June 16, 2011, Thursday
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Print Edition
Print Edition
A MAJORITY of Germans are unhappy with their government's handling of the outbreak of E. coli bacteria in food that has killed 37 people, a poll indicated yesterday.
In a survey of 1,003 people by pollsters Forsa, 58 percent of respondents considered Berlin's crisis management in what is the deadliest outbreak of the bacteria in modern history as less than satisfactory or poor.
Only 31 percent of those surveyed were satisfied with the government's information policy during the outbreak, according to the poll, published by Stern magazine.
More than 3,200 people have so far fallen ill with the E. coli strain, about a quarter of them developing a complication called haemolytic uraemic syndrome, which affects the blood, kidneys and nervous system.
German health authorities have linked the epidemic to contaminated bean sprouts and shoots from a German organic farm sold to consumers and restaurants for eating in salads.
Germany's main disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said the number of new infections appears to be on the decline, although the outbreak claimed its first child fatality on Tuesday when a two-year-old died from the bacteria.
Last weekend, Karl Lauterbach, a health expert and member of parliament for the opposition Social Democrats, said some 100 victims had suffered such extensive damage that they would need kidney transplants or lifelong dialysis.
Lauterbach has criticized the sometimes bureaucratic handling of the outbreak, saying parliament would investigate reports that infection alerts took over a week to be registered because they were sent by post.
In a survey of 1,003 people by pollsters Forsa, 58 percent of respondents considered Berlin's crisis management in what is the deadliest outbreak of the bacteria in modern history as less than satisfactory or poor.
Only 31 percent of those surveyed were satisfied with the government's information policy during the outbreak, according to the poll, published by Stern magazine.
More than 3,200 people have so far fallen ill with the E. coli strain, about a quarter of them developing a complication called haemolytic uraemic syndrome, which affects the blood, kidneys and nervous system.
German health authorities have linked the epidemic to contaminated bean sprouts and shoots from a German organic farm sold to consumers and restaurants for eating in salads.
Germany's main disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said the number of new infections appears to be on the decline, although the outbreak claimed its first child fatality on Tuesday when a two-year-old died from the bacteria.
Last weekend, Karl Lauterbach, a health expert and member of parliament for the opposition Social Democrats, said some 100 victims had suffered such extensive damage that they would need kidney transplants or lifelong dialysis.
Lauterbach has criticized the sometimes bureaucratic handling of the outbreak, saying parliament would investigate reports that infection alerts took over a week to be registered because they were sent by post.
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