Policy into practice: E. coli
Anne Longfield
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
The issue: The recent outbreak of E. coli at a farm in Surrey has raised attention once again around the importance of safety and hygiene for children and young people.
E. coli is present everywhere and mostly helps people to stay healthy. But certain strains such as E. coli 0157 can cause illness. Infections can be passed through cross-contamination, eating undercooked food and touching animals and contaminated surfaces. There are more than 20,000 reports of E. coli infections each year, and children under five are the most vulnerable.
While we should remember the relatively low number of E. coli incidents that occur, it is important to raise awareness about the real risks of infections that are present in our everyday lives and steps that can be taken to avoid infection.
CASE STUDY 1
One of the easiest ways to prevent children getting E. coli is to teach them good hygiene practice. This month marked Global Handwashing Day, a worldwide campaign, including over 70 countries, to promote handwashing with soap, particularly to children. Children are the group most commonly affected by diseases spread by poor hygiene.
The campaign includes schools and nurseries around the country. Recognising that good habits start young, it aims to inform parents and teachers about the importance of regular handwashing and motivating children via free "E-bug" teaching games and activities.
One of the campaign's partners, Pump Aid, has also organised a link-up between a school in Malawi and schools in London, which will exchange videos and tips with each other.
CASE STUDY 2
Hush is a charitable organisation set up in 1997, following the outbreak of E. coli 0157 in Scotland. The charity helps bring together families whose lives have been affected by the bacterium.
Hush works to raise awareness of E. coli 0157 among the general public as well as GPs and accident and emergency departments in order to speed up diagnosis. It participates in government consultations and seeks changes in legislation with a view to decreasing the number of E. coli cases.
The charity has more than 300 members, comprising sufferers and their families, medical, microbiological, and environmental health experts. Hush liaises regularly with Health Protection Scotland and was part of the steering committee formulating guidelines for enhanced surveillance of this particularly dangerous strain.