BEIJING, June 9 (Xinhuanet) --German officials have confirmed that traces of the deadly E.coli bacteria have been found on a discarded cucumber in the eastern town of Magdeburg.
Health Minister for the State od Saxony Anhalt Norbert Bischoff said, "Last week this dangerous bacteria was found on a cucumber in a waste bin for organic food, which belonged to a family who became ill on May 19. The daughter is still hospitalized, the father did not need to be treated and the mother was in hospital for a short period of time. The daughter was diagnosed as carrying the dangerous 104 strain of the illness."
The Health Minister added that it is as yet unknown where the bacteria came from, and could not confirm the origin of the cucumber. German ministers on Wednesday defended their response to the E.coli outbreak that has killed 27 people and signaled possible changes in the way the country will handle health crises in the future.
The German government has been criticized at home and abroad for failing to pin down the cause of the outbreak that has stricken more than 2,700 people in 12 countries. So far, all reported cases have been traced back to the area around Hamburg in northern Germany.
(Source: CNTV.cn)
