Don t shoot the cucumber 沉冤得雪的黄瓜 A deadly outbreak in Hamburg causes ripples roundEurope 爆发在汉堡的致命性疫情引发欧洲震荡 SEVENTEEN deaths, some 1,500 confirmed orsuspected cases and hundreds of millions of euros inlosses: the outbreak of E. coli infections in northernGermany is causing havoc across Europe. The culpritis an especially nasty strain of E. coli, which normallyresides harmlessly in the gut. Type O104:H4 can causebloody diarrhoea, convulsions and, most lethally,haemolytic-uraemic syndrome, which attacks thekidneys. Nearly all the dead are women. Nobody knowswhy. 7人死亡,约1500例确认或者疑似病例,数以亿计欧元的经济损失:在德国北部爆发的大肠杆菌疫情让整个欧洲都陷入了一片混乱。罪魁祸首是特别恶心的大肠杆菌族的一种,通常情况下驻于肠内且对人体无害。这种叫O104:H4型的大肠杆菌能造成出血性腹泻,痉挛,以及更为致命的溶血性尿毒综合征症状,引发肾衰竭。几乎所有的死者都是女性。没人能解释这一现象。 German health authorities at first traced the infection to organic cucumbers from Spain andadvised people to avoid them, along with salad and raw tomatoes. Now it seems the cucumberswere innocent . But thevegetable warning still stands, and the economic and political damage is mounting. |