The report into an outbreak of E. coli O157 associated with a Cardiff kebab shop in 2011 has been published.

It sets out the multi-agency investigation of the outbreak which led to nine confirmed cases of E. coli O157, one of which involved the young victim being hospitalised and having to undergo dialysis as a result of the poisoning.

The outbreak was declared on 12 August 2011. Public Health Wales chaired the multi-agency outbreak control team which comprised representatives from Cardiff Council, Vale of Glamorgan County Borough Council, Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough Council and the Food Standards Agency.

The report details the epidemiological, environmental, and microbiological investigations undertaken in response to the outbreak and the results. It also describes a case control study which was conducted using other people who had eaten at the kebab house.

The owner of the Adonis Kebab Shop, Cardiff, was prosecuted by Cardiff Council for a range of food hygiene offences linked to the outbreak and sentenced to an eight months custodial sentence on 14 January 2013.

Dr Gwen Lowe, Consultant in Communicable Disease Control for Public Health Wales and Chair of the outbreak control team, said: “As well as detailing the investigation process of the outbreak, this report also demonstrates the importance and effectiveness of collaboration between agencies when protecting public health.

“I’d like to publicly thank all agencies involved and members of the public who helped us in the investigation of the outbreak by taking part in the case control study.

“We have made six recommendations in the report which will be presented to the Outbreak and Incidents Sub Group of the Welsh Government’s Health Protection Committee and we hope they will be implemented to help the investigation of food-related outbreaks in the future.”

More information on E. coli O157 is available at: http://www.wales.nhs.uk/sitesplus/888/page/43884

Downloads

The Cardiff E. coli O157 Outbreak Summer 2011: Report of the Outbreak Control Team

http://www2.nphs.wales.nhs.uk:8080/HealthProtectionDomainDocs.nsf/3dc04669c9e1eaa880257062003b246b/10e538fb5f2983d480257b020039de0c/$FILE/Cardiff%20Ecoli%20O157%20Outbreak%20Report%20Full%20and%20Final%2029.01.13.doc

Report Summary
http://www2.nphs.wales.nhs.uk:8080/HealthProtectionDomainDocs.nsf/3dc04669c9e1eaa880257062003b246b/ddca1e97025375d580257b02003a09c1/$FILE/The%20Cardiff%20Ecoli%20Report%20Summary%2029.01.13%20ENGLISH.doc