Minced beef likely cause of STEC bacteria in care homes

The Brussels public prosecutor’s office has opened a judicial investigation into a recent spate of STEC bacterial infections in residential care homes.

It came to light at the end of August that infections with the Shiga Toxin-producing Echerichia Coli (STEC) bacterium had occurred in 11 residential care centres in Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels.

Nine people died and more than 70 people developed symptoms of the disease.

The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain (FASFC) has made a joint announcement with regional health authorities that raw minced beef was probably the source of the infections.

The traceability investigation analysed more than 70 food samples and found that beef from the same batch was served in all the residential care centres involved.

However, as no samples were available from the batch of meat in question, the source of the infection cannot be confirmed with absolute certainty through laboratory analyses.

The FASFC recommends that vulnerable consumers - the elderly, young children, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems - avoid eating raw foods, which may be contaminated with pathogenic bacteria.

These groups are at increased risk of serious complications in the event of foodborne infection.