E-Coli Is Back

Cucumbers exported from Spain to Germany have been contaminated with the E-coli bacteria, that’s what I have been reading lately.Now this gives me the goose bumps.This is the only vegetable my children eat without a fuss.They love it in their salad . This is freaking me out. After this disturbing news, I kept checking my refrigerator compartment to ensure there were no traces of dirt or dirty particles embedded in my stored cucumbers .I wash them well ,all of the vegetables. ‘Please conserve water ,don’t waste’ ,everyone cries! But how can we think of using water sparingly in a situation like this. As it is ,I wash and scrub these vegetables thoroughly if I use them in salads. It is alarming however to watch the food enthusiasts demonstrate on television their culinary know hows and cooking their favourite vegetables or meat, straight from the packet to the pan.When do they wash the vegetables or meat? How ever much they say the vegetables are hygienic, We got to wash them in clean running water once we bring it home from the grocers and just before cooking them.I remember ,there was this outbreak of E-coli in spinach leaves,a couple of years ago, We being miles away from the affected places stopped eating Spinach through fear. Now it’s back again ,this time tainting the cucumber the ones grown in Spain.
E.coli is short for Escherichia coli - a bacteria (germ) that causes severe cramps and diarrhea. Certain strains of E. coli, possibly create lethal toxins. Food poisoning by E. coli is usually caused by undercooked meat, unpasteurized milk and juice, raw fruits and vegetables , feces of infected people, and contaminated water. It also causes serious and life-threatening complications .The illness varies considerably;it can be fatal, particularly to the young and the elderly . This bacteria lives in the digestive tracts of animals and humans and most are typically harmless. They help our body break down and digest food. Nonetheless, some strains of E. coli can be very harmful and lead to grave infections that can make us sick quickly.