KILLER BACTERIA E COLI ATTACKS EUROPE 16 DEAD, HUNDREDS IL

6/1/2011


Just read a severe outbreak of E Coli has killed 16 people in Europe
and hundreds ill from Tomatoes, Lettuce and cucumbers...

http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/05/31/germany-ecoli-cucumber-death-toll-rises-16/

Cheers..Joe

That's right Joe. Glad we have our own garden.

6/1/2011


Me I'm growing my own tomatoes..


Cheers..Joe

It seems to be have come from Germany, but was was first blamed on Spain. It is not easy growing enough fruit and veg for yourself to eat.

Germany, like the US, is a large consumer market and imports lots of products from neighboring countries. Although investigations are continuing, it has been determined that the virus came from imported products. No country wants to be labeled as the source of virus for obvious reasons and fingers begin to point. There is a positive in all of this. People are determined to buy locally produced products, and that helps the economy. Genetically engineered/modified products are seen as the primary source. Getting products on the market early (pre-season) and often larger in size, gives the producers a greater marketshare. Huge greenhouses have replaced nature's normal growing cycles. These are prevalent in (I will not name the countries).

I think the US, with its weak economy, could boost the economy with grassroots "Buy American" or "Buy local" programs. The consumer has power. Buying quality is less expensive in the long run. Quality is not just about products, but also quality of life. Creating jobs is just one of those end result qualities.

builder wrote:

It seems to be have come from Germany, but was was first blamed on Spain. It is not easy growing enough fruit and veg for yourself to eat.

It is easy to speculate and draw conclusions. Better to wait for the results of the on-going investigation.

There are some things that can cause speculation. For example.
The harvest for cucumbers and tomatoes in Germany has not yet begun. The stores carry tomatoes and cucumbers from Spain and Holland. We even saw new potatoes from Israel in the store for the first time. As soon as fresh vegetables are available, the farmers markets will have them first before the supermarkets carry them.
This morning I heard that meat products could be the cause of the virus. Don't know what evidence they have and it may be stilll more speculation.

My tomatoes will take at least another month to be ready. My cucumbers will take a bit longer. Growing seasons differ from country to country as well as the crops they can produce. In Holland, they have many greenhouses since their weather and growing season is not conducive to large outdoor crop production.

Whatever caused the virus will eventually be revealed, at least everyone hopes.

Abe,

Do you have a greenhouse?

My younger daughter is going to London and Paris next week on a school trip. Is this something she should be worried about or is it just in Germany?

No need to worry. The only cases in the UK are from visits to Germany:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13626499

It wasn't too long ago when Mad Cow disease caused deaths. I don't know if the source was ever determined. It was devastating to the UK where farmers had to kill entire herds of cattle. In a situation where a deadly virus exists, protecting the consumer takes priority and all suspected sources must be taken seriously. Unless/until the source is found and/or a cure is found, caution is needed.
Since meat is now suspect, people are advised to cook their food well.
Mutation is suspected in this new strain of E Coli virus.

Virus can be used as a weapon more deadly than bombs. In my novel, They Plotted Revenge Against America, a virus is used as a weapon of destruction.

I hope that the source/cause of this new virus is found and that it can be erradicated soon before more people die.

Every day another story.
Here's the latest that I read:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110603/wl_nm/us_ecoli

Also read the comments of the viewers. Interesting.

Abe F. March wrote:

It wasn't too long ago when Mad Cow disease caused deaths. I don't know if the source was ever determined. It was devastating to the UK where farmers had to kill entire herds of cattle. In a situation where a deadly virus exists, protecting the consumer takes priority and all suspected sources must be taken seriously. Unless/until the source is found and/or a cure is found, caution is needed.
Since meat is now suspect, people are advised to cook their food well.
Mutation is suspected in this new strain of E Coli virus.

Virus can be used as a weapon more deadly than bombs. In my novel, They Plotted Revenge Against America, a virus is used as a weapon of destruction.

I hope that the source/cause of this new virus is found and that it can be erradicated soon before more people die.

I remember reading that Mad Cow Disease was caused by feeding cows, which are herbivores, meat laced with bone meal from other cows and sheep. It isn't a virus, but an indicator of how serious it can be when we modify our food genetically or by adding chemicals and other non-food products.

Ann

Yes, Ann. I just googled it and they talk about that. Cow dung is also a source.

The latest this morning.
They have determined that the virus originated in seeds that were used to grow the plants at a greenhouse in northern Germany.
It seems whatever is suspected, the media picks it up and makes it sound like fact. The investigators have a difficult time. They are often compelled to make a statement. Even if they say, "suspected" that comes out as confirmed. If they say nothing, they are then blamed for not informing the public. "Damned if you do, and damned if you don't" scenario.
They have supposedly traced the virus to seeds imported from the East, and the suspected country is China.
I believe we should avoid enhanced growing of anything, seeds or plants. Why not let nature do its thing in a natural cycle? So many things today are "fast". Patience is becoming a lost virtue. We want fast foods, fast cars and fast PC's. Perhaps some fasting in the traditional sense would be beneficial.

Now the country (or countries) previously mentioned as suspected sources want compensation. Who pays for the loss of life and the suffering caused by sickness when the source is determined correctly?

I think it is better to err on the side of safety. Consequenses be dammed if caution can help save lives.

The problem with releasing updates of your investigations into the source of the virus is the media will jump to conclusions, fingers will point, the public will react and it will cost someone lots of money.
Warn the public by all means but they should keep quiet about leads until they find something conclusive.

Follow up on this stinks of revenge and then comes retaliation.
People forget that the consumer is king.

A Spanish minister made a speech, holding up a cucumber, demanding compensation from Germany for hurting their economy. That was not very smart. Germany is a large consumer and imports much from Spain. This morning I went shopping and heard some comments from shoppers, "If they get compensated, I will never buy another product from Spain."

Economic wars are real. Seeking revenge solves nothing and usually escalates with retaliation.

Labels of products must show country of origin. I observed shoppers looking at labels before placing products into their cart.

I have a tendancy to root for the underdog. If someone is falsely accused, the tendance of many people is to try and make up for that. In this case, saying nothing would have been a greater benefit. Short-term thinking is not wise nor is taking revenge. The consequences can be severe.

The latest on the E coli outbreak. It may have Egyptian origins via seeds.
http://www.thelocal.de/national/20110630-35979.html