Germany predicts ‘worst is over’ in E coli outbreak

GERMANY has expressed hope the “worst” of a killer bacteria outbreak is over as the European Union upped its aid offer to farmers hit by government warnings against eating raw vegetables.

The number of new infections from a highly virulent strain of E coli bacteria which has left at least 25 people dead and more than 2,600 ill was falling, German Health Minister Daniel Bahr said after crisis talks in Berlin.

And in Brussels, the European Commission hiked its offer of compensation to €210 million ($307m) for vegetable producers whose sales have collapsed in the wake of the scare.