The death toll from the outbreak of a lethal strain of E. coli centred in northern Germany rose to 29 Thursday after the state of Lower Saxony reported two more fatalities.
A 68-year-old man and a 20-year-old woman died of the disease on Wednesday in the Harburg district, the state’s health ministry said in a statement.This brings to 29 the total number of dead, including one woman who died in Sweden after visiting Germany.
Authorities have failed to identify the source of the outbreak, which has left more than 2,800 people ill in at least 14 countries. German consumers are being advised to avoid raw sprouts, cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce. German Health Minister Daniel Bahr expressed hope Wednesday that the worst of the outbreak was over, with the number of new infections beginning to fall.