June 1, 2011

• Do NOT eat your vegetables!

  

  Children of Germany, do NOT eat your vegetables! 

  A particularly deadly strain of E. Coli is spreading through produce – and nobody can pinpoint the source.  16 Germans are dead, while another 1200 have been diagnosed : in just the last 2 weeks!  While at first the outbreak was blamed on Spanish cucumbers, this theory is now being discredited.  The hardest part about finding the source of this disease is that symptoms can start up to ten days after first exposure.  Ten days.  Cross referencing everything that 1200 people ate in the last ten days is difficult enough – but the fact of the matter is, most people don’t even remember what they ate for breakfast.

  For those who don’t know, here is a definition of the E. Coli Infection :

  “E. coli is the name of a germ, or bacterium, that lives in the digestive tracts of humans and animals. A person can get an E. coli infection by coming into contact with the faeces of humans or animals. It is contacted when a person drinks water or eats food that has been contaminated by feces. In severe cases a person can also die.”

  Many farmers use cow manure to fertilize their farms, thereby spreading the sickness from the cow to the plants.  Other farmers may use water from creeks or lakes to suppliment rainwater.  Infected cows near these water sources may infect them with their feces, as well.

  For now, all German citizens (and countries receiving produce imports from Germany or Spain) are discouraged from eating cucumbers, salad lettuce, and tomatoes.  Until the source is found and eliminated, it looks like thousands of children will be rejoicing at their parents’ stern warnings NOT to eat their veggies.

   

  M

  • 9:45 am
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