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Human-to-human spread of deadly E. coli detected in Germany. Officials on Friday, June 17,
confirmed the first case of human-to-human spread of the deadly E. coli bacteria when
it was found that an infected woman working in the kitchen of a catering company had unknowingly
passed the infection to 20 more people through food she had prepared. The strain of bacteria,
which as of June 23 had claimed at least 44 lives and sickened more than 3,800 people
in 16 countries has also been found in a stream in Frankfurt, Germany, where citizens have
been advised not to swim as health officials seek a source of the bacteria. On Thursday,
the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported a first death in the USA, with six
others fallen ill who also recently traveled to Germany, at least two of whom have developed
kidney failure. Of those who originally fell ill in Europe, more than 850 have been diagnosed
with the severe kidney disorder known as hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). Based on past episodes of
E. coli contamination, doctors warn that some percentage of these patients will require
long-term dialysis or kidney transplants to survive.
It saddens us deeply to know of the toll to human life and the suffering caused by this
disease. With Heaven's grace, may we step together toward a kinder and more uplifted
world for all�