Minister hopes worst of E.coli over

Germany’s health minister said today that he is hopeful the worst of an E.coli outbreak blamed on bean sprouts is over – but warned that the death toll, currently 33, may still increase.

Daniel Bahr’s comments came after health officials announced yesterday that they had traced the outbreak to bean sprouts from a farm in northern Germany. They also lifted a warning against eating cucumbers, tomatoes and lettuce, which were initially suspected as possible culprits.