PUBLIC Health England (PHE) has issued hygiene and food preparation advice to people in Wiltshire after an outbreak of E-coli.

It says there are 19 cases reported, of which eight are confirmed cases, across three counties - Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Avon and Somerset.

All cases are adults and 14 are female.

Investigations have shown several of the affected individuals ate salad items prior to becoming unwell, although no individual salad item or supplier has been identified as the source.

PHE is now reminding people to maintain good hygiene and food preparation practices especially with salad items which should be washed thoroughly before eating.

Mike Wade, director of health protection for Public Health England South West said: “E.coli O157 infection can cause a range of symptoms, from mild diarrhoea to bloody diarrhoea with severe abdominal pain and, on rare occasions, it can also cause more serious medical conditions.

“It can be caught by eating contaminated food or by contact with infected animals. It can also be passed from an infected individual to another person if hand and toilet hygiene is poor.

“We continue to stress the importance of good hand and food hygiene practices at all times. It is vital to wash hands thoroughly using soap and water after using the toilet, before and after handling food and after contact with any animal and pets, including farm animals. Small children should also be supervised when washing their hands.

“We also urge people to remove any loose soil before storing vegetables and thoroughly wash all vegetables, fruit and salad items that will be eaten raw.”

Since 2012, PHE has rarely seen more than ten cases for each local authority area per year.

Local authorities are working with Public Health England and national experts to discover the reason for the outbreak.

Geographically, more cases have been observed in South Gloucestershire and Gloucestershire areas.

For more information about E.coli O157 visit nhs.uk/conditions/Escherichia-Coli-O157/Pages/Introduction.aspx