[Hygienic and epidemiological aspects of Escherichia coli infections in light of recent epidemic in European Union countries 2011]. / Higieniczne i epidemiologiczne aspekty zakazenia bakteriami Escherichia coli, w kontekscie wydarzen w Unii Europejskiej w 2011r.

ABSTRACT

The events of the spring 2011 linked to the outbreak of a new strain of Eschericha coli bacteria reflected worldwide in the media. Just like two years earlier in the case of pandemic influenza A-H1N1, also this time there was panic in media, flood of news, often contradictory and mutually exclusive information and attempts to make reliable evaluations of what exactly been happening. Known for decades Eschericha coli bacterium, probably as a result of human activity (excessive use of antibiotics) appeared in the form of new, dangerous strain. What's worse, it was also shown that both European Commission and WHO agencies are having serious problems while dealing with similar, outbreak-like situations. The problem is not with dealing with epidemic itself, but rather with population hysteria, public opinion and media in general. In this article an attempt has been made to characterize the bacteria Escherichia coli, the most common form of infection and health threats, as well as a brief description of the epidemic in 2011 and actions taken by European Union and governments of countries where disease appeared.