HC Deb 26 February 2001 vol 363 cc440-1W
1997. Mr. McDonnell

To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many outbreaks of E.coli there were in(a) 1996, (b)(c) 1998, (d) 1999 and (e) 2000; how many people were affected in each year; and how many fatalities were linked to these outbreaks. [150318]

Ms Stuart

The table gives details of all general outbreaks of verocytotoxin-producing E.coli 0157 infection in England and Wales reported to the Public Health Laboratory Service Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre and Laboratory of Enteric Pathogens in each year from 1996 to 2000. The table also shows the number of laboratory-confirmed cases and the number of fatalities linked to these outbreaks.

Verocytotoxin-producing Escherichia coli 0157: General outbreaks in England and Wales, 1996 to 2000
Outbreaks Outbreaks— number of laboratory confirmed cases Outbreaks— number of people who died
(a) 1996 14 69 0
(b) 1997 25 153 2
(c) 1998 17 72 0
(d) 1999 16 209 2
(e) 20001 24 170 1
Total 96 673 5
1Provisional data

Sources of data:

1. G. A. Willshaw, T. Cheasty, H. R. Smith, S. J. O'Brien, G. K. Adak. Verocytotoxin—producing Escherichia coli (VTEC) 0157 and other VTEC from human infections in England and Wales: 1995 to 1998. Journal of Medical Microbiology 2001, 50: 135–142.

2. PHLS Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre. Outbreaks of Infectious Intestinal Disease Database (data for 1999 and 2000).