WWYD? Serious infection in germany ...

[Triniity]

Hi, 

I live in germany and am 13 weeks pregnant. Now, we have this bug going around, I don´t know if you guys heard about it yet, it causes bloody diarrhea and can end in renal failure and even death. There are a couple of hundreds cases now, it is thought that the cause is food poisoning and that the cause is in north germany (far away from us) - but they are not sure. 

The experts warn to eat anything raw basically. It needs to be heated to 70°C for 10 min. so, that would be no salad, no fresh fruit, no strawberries :( no cherries ... no peaches ... 

I am worried, but than, I need to eat good food. WWYD?

[34me]

My dh is in the food business here in the US.  From my understanding, the thought right now is that it is a new strain of E-Coli.  I would probably heed the guidelines.

[SierraBella]

I've heard of it too. Can you plant your own garden where you are? I would be worried if it were close to me too (I'm also 13 weeks pg!).. hope everyone is OK!

[Triniity]

HI thanks for your replies, 

yeah, I plant. I am not the best planning person, though. So ... the salad is far from ready and the tomatoes need more time, naturally. I guess I just skip the raw stuff and get some warm salad recipes ....

I will miss the fruit, though ...

[Strong Mama]

What about canned and frozen fruit/veggies?

[matte]

I think this problem will be pretty short-lived. If I were you I would follow all the public health instructions, and just eat well-cooked foods until this passes. You can always have your fruit in a pie if you like. Also, be careful with hand washing and other sanity procedures! This is some serious food-borne illness!

[Alenushka]

It will be temporary and will pass within weeks.

[nia82]

My family just avoids all the stuff that is potentially contaminated. They now think it's from sprouts in salads. But it is really hard to track down. My parents/family live in the middle of Germany, but the outbreak's epicenter is in Northern Germany, mostly Hamburg. But they still are cautious and would I if I were to travel back home now.

I would follow whatever precautions the government issues... I'm sure this issue will pass and then you can eat raw veggies again. I had regular e-coli once from ground beef here in the US and it was hell, I needed IV fluids. It's horrible,

[Snugglebugmom]

I would absolutely not take any risks. This is a serious bug, people are dying. I would take the guidelines very seriously, and going without fresh raw fruit and salads for a while is a small sacrifice to keep yourself and your baby safe. That's just my personal take on it though. 

[homestyle]

Hmmm .... I'm in northern Germany, and I've only heard that we should avoid lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers ... and now sprouts. They don't seem to have a clue what is really behind this, do they. So frustrating. So I haven't been eating salads for a few weeks. But, honestly, I haven't been avoiding fruit at all, and this is the first I've heard anyone say that we should. I'm more than 40 wks (ahem) now. I just ate a ton of (well washed) strawberries, with cottage cheese. Time for a nap.