Posters and Literature

Initially known as the "hamburger bug" due to the number of outbreaks resulting from eating undercooked hamburgers, E.coli O157 was only confirmed as a human health risk in 1982. It is now known that most cases of Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome are as a result of E.coli O157.

HUSH often speak with people who claim to have consumed unpasteurised milk all their lives with no problem "so why should they be concerned now?" or who glibly announce "a little bit of dirt never hurt anyone!". Unfortunately these presumptions no longer apply. Microbiologists are aware of the dangers from E.coli O157 contamination but the message is often not filtering down to the man (or woman) in the street. Figures now indicate that as many as half of all cattle herds are infected with the O157 bacterium and this obviously requires vigilance on our part to ensure the meat we eat is cooked thoroughly and that it is prepared and eaten with thoroughly washed hands.

The fact that we are dealing with something relatively "new" means that we do not have decades of experience to fall back on. The medical professionals cannot tell a sufferer what the future holds simply because they do not know. However, it is apparent that some people who have suffered kidney failure as a result of E.coli O157 may at some time in the future develop related medical problems.

We would like to compile a database of members who have sufferered from E.coli O157 or HUS to help assess the long term effects of the bacterium. This information will be treated in the strictest confidence and will not be disclosed to outside parties without the written consent of members concerned. If you would like to participate, please download the members' questionnaire below, fill it in and send it back to us.