Overview
- As of October 22, authorities have linked 183 infections to the outbreak strain, including 48 cases of haemolytic-uraemic syndrome (HUS), with a further 168 cases under review.
- The RKI reports a boy aged 5–10 with HUS and a woman aged 70–80 have died, and it lists a death of a woman over 90 with HUS as probably linked to the outbreak.
- Mecklenburg-Vorpommern remains the hardest-hit state, with another focal area in central North Rhine-Westphalia and additional cases reported in most other states.
- The exact source remains unknown; the RKI points to one or more retail foods distributed across regions—such as meat or sausage products—while not excluding plant-based items, and it notes no evidence for infections from animal or surface waters.
- Public health guidance stresses strict hand hygiene, keeping sick people and household contacts out of childcare and schools, and keeping food handlers off duty while they shed EHEC, as new cases continue to be reported even as the pace eases slightly.