PHA publishes E. coli report

The Public Health Agency (PHA) has released the final report of the Outbreak Control Team (OCT) investigations into the outbreak of E. coli O157 associated with Flicks restaurant in Belfast during 2012.

The response to control the outbreak was multi-agency, involving the PHA, Belfast City Council Environmental Health, Belfast Health and Social Care Trust and the Food Standards Agency. In addition, the OCT liaised closely with colleagues in the Health Protection Agency (now Public Health England).

The report describes the chronology of the outbreak and the outcomes of epidemiological, environmental health and microbiological investigations. The report concludes with a number of recommendations.

The report can now be published following sentencing in a case against Movie House Cinema (Yorkgate) Ltd, owners of Flicks restaurant, in a prosecution brought by Belfast City Council.

The report is available at www.bit.ly/ecoli12

Further information and advice on E. coli O157 is available at www.publichealth.hscni.net/ecoli-o157

ENDS