Number of new E. coli cases abating but more deaths expected

"Germany reported two more deaths and 300 more E. coli cases Wednesday, but its health minister insisted that new infections were dropping, giving some hope that the world's deadliest E. coli outbreak was abating," Associated Press reports (Greishaber, 6/8).

"We cannot give the all-clear but based on the evaluation of the data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI, the national health centre), there is reason for justified optimism that we have the worst behind us at the national level," German Health Minister Daniel Bahr told reporters, according to Agence France-Presse. "RKI said it was not certain whether the decline in new cases was linked to consumers avoiding the vegetables that have been blacklisted," the news agency writes.

As of Tuesday, the number of confirmed cases in Germany stood at 2,648, with 25 deaths, according to RKI, AFP reports. One more woman died in Sweden after recently returning from Germany. Cases have been reported in more than 12 countries worldwide, according to the news agency (Cole, 6/8). Bahr said although the number of new cases was slowing, the country should expect to see additional deaths related to the outbreak, Reuters notes (Rohan, 6/8).