Aigner and Bahr Postive balance sheet after EHEC epidemic

Federal Minister of Agriculture Ilse Aigner and Minister of Health Daniel Bahr draw positive balance after EHEC outbreak

05/08/2012

It was almost a year ago when Germany was hit by the dangerous EHEC epidemic. Federal Health Minister Daniel Bahr (FDP) and the Federal Minister of Agriculture Ilse Aigner (CSU) have now taken stock. All measures implemented so far are, according to the ministries „so far have been positive“.

The spread of the dangerous Escherichia coli bacteria (EHEC) in the months of May, June and July 2011 has placed heavy demands on the federal and state health and food agencies as well as the scientific and medical institutions. The „extraordinary challenges“ could through joint efforts „could be coped with in the best possible way“, Aigner and Bahr explained in Berlin. Not everything went well, but in the majority can be spoken of a positive workflow.

It had been possible to identify the cause of the infection through patient surveys, targeted traceability of food routes and epidemiological studies by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). As a source then a producer of organic sprouts could be located. After the farm was closed, the case numbers went down.

In particular, the intensive cooperation between human and veterinary medicine of the federal and state governments has led to a success, as the ministers praised. „The EHEC epidemic has shown that the federal government and the federal states have acted together decisively and have successfully managed an outbreak that has so far been unique in Germany due to a rare, aggressive pathogen that can be transmitted via food“, so Aigner and Bahr.

Vulnerabilities should be checked
The experience gained from the hitherto unprecedented bacterial epidemic has shown that individual processes have to be reviewed again in order to identify possible weak points. These should not occur again at the next occurrence. Minister of Health Bahr referred in this context to a bill passed in the Bundestag, which is currently being discussed in the Conciliation Committee of the Bundesrat. With the new legislation, the case data should be transmitted faster to the RKI. In addition, the law is a switch to the reporting under the Infection Protection Act (IfSG) on a consistent electronic basis, explained Minister Bahr.

New reporting system for infectious diseases
The new reporting system for infectious diseases will be improved by the development and testing of a German electronic reporting system for infection control (DEMIS). The Federal Government hopes this one „Media-unbroken electronic message, the reporting times shorten again in time. Especially in a crisis, the respective incidents must be adapted quickly. This was in particular the temporary extension of the information to be reported by medical professionals, said Bahr. In addition, the Infection Protection Act, together with a regulation in the Food and Feed Code (LFGB), uniformly regulates the exchange of information between the health authorities and the local food control authorities nationwide. This is done in consultation with the Länder.

Task Force as a special commission
Aigner sees himself confirmed by the dioxin scandals and EHEC epidemic that there was an urgent need for action in the surveillance structures in the federal states and the federal government. Therefore, the device is a so-called „Task Force“ with doctors, experts and scientists from federal and state governments and the EU a success. According to the Federal Minister of Health, such a crisis management system should „inherent part“ to tackle future problems.

The task force had to explain the EHEC cause and therapy like one „Special Commission of the police worked“, explained Aigner. In its investigations, the Commission focused on specific outbreak clusters. It is now planned to set up the structures at the Federal Office for Consumer Protection and Food Safety (BVL) in Berlin so that the special commission can be operational at all times. A joint agreement on future cooperation between the federal government and the states in the event of an epidemiological event and the formation of a „Task Force Food Safety“ According to Aigner, it will be decided at the Consumer Protection Conference this autumn. In the opinion of the consumer advocates of Foodwatch, the German government had worked up the then crisis only insufficiently. The identified weaknesses in food control are still not eliminated.

According to the RKI, around 1000 people still suffer from EHEC infection each year. 60 to 70 cases are difficult according to the institute. 50 people died in the last EHEC epidemic. More than 4,000 people were infected last year with the particularly aggressive EHEC pathogen of the 0104 strain: H4 As a result, around 800 patients suffered from the hemolytic uremic syndrome. (Sb)

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Learning from the EHEC crisis
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No antibiotic in EHEC
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Picture: Markus Wegner