Since May 1st, more than 1700 people have been infected by the bacteria E. coli in Europe, mainly in northern Germany.
The E. coli is a large and diverse group of bacteria that is naturally present in the intestines of humans and other animals, such as cows. Although most varieties of E. coli are harmless, others can cause diseases such as gastroenteritis, which causes vomiting, diarrhea and fever; urinary infection and hemolytic-uremic syndrome, which causes abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea and Acute Renal Failure.
The E. coli It is transmitted by water and food contaminated by human or animal feces. This can happen during food production (irrigation or fertilization), during transport or handling (lack of hygiene).
In children and the elderly, care must be taken, as because they have a less efficient immune system, they are more susceptible to contamination and can have serious complications, leading to death.
To avoid contamination by E. coli through food, just carry out the correct hygiene of fruits, vegetables and greens that will be consumed raw. Cleaning must be done by cleaning under running water followed by soaking in a chlorine solution, which is made with 1 tablespoon of bleach for 1 liter of water. Just remember to always check the packaging to see if that brand can be used to sanitize food. You can also use specific sodium hypochlorite for this purpose, also according to the label recommendations. And drinking water must always be filtered, chlorinated or boiled.
Sources:
http://www.copacabanarunners.net/escherichia-coli.html
http://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escherichia_coli
http://portal.saude.gov.br/portal/saude/profissional/area.cfm?id_area=1550
http://andreiatorres.blogspot.com/2007/12/como-higienizar-seus-vegetais-e-frutas.html