BRISTOL residents have been warned that there has been a huge rise in cases of a food poisoning bug which can cause diarrhoea and even kidney failure in the city and surrounding area.

Public Health England has issued an alert about the increase in the number of cases of E.coli O157 infection involving people eating salad then being taken ill.

No individual salad item or supplier has yet been identified, and PHE is working with environmental health officers in Bristol, South Gloucestershire, North Somerset and B&NES to try to trace the source of the outbreak.

It said it is probably a cluster of infections locally.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) are common bacteria which live in the intestines of animals. Some forms of E. coli do not cause any ill effects. However, some strains cause illness and E.coli O157 is the most important of these strains.

E.coli O157 infection can cause a range of symptoms, from mild diarrhoea to severe abdominal pain and bloody diarrhoea and even kidney failure.

Mike Wade, director of Health Protection for PHE South West said: "E.coli O157 can be caught by eating contaminated food or by contact with infected animals.

"It can also be passed from an infected individual to another person if hand and toilet hygiene is poor.

"We continue to stress the importance of good hand and food hygiene practices at all times.

"It is vital to wash hands thoroughly using soap and water after using the toilet, before and after handling food and after contact with any animal and pets, including farm animals.

"Small children should also be supervised when washing their hands.

"We also urge people to remove any loose soil before storing vegetables and thoroughly wash all vegetables, fruit and salad items that will be eaten raw."

Those affected in this outbreak have been supported by health care professionals and their household and close contacts have been given information on infection control and signs and symptoms associated with the infection.

No children have been affected to date.

Dr Mark Pietroni, Director of Public Health for South Gloucestershire said: "Colleagues in all the affected local authorities are working with Public Health England and national experts to discover the reason for this outbreak so that we can take the necessary steps to control it as quickly as possible."

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