E.coli Outbreak Scale Revealed

A new report shows that an E.coli outbreak which occurred after infected meat was supplied to schools in South Wales was the sixth biggest in the world.

Five-year-old Mason Jones died after contracting the 0157 strain of the bug in September 2005, and 157 people in total were infected.

Butcher William John Tudor, 55, of Cowbridge, South Wales, was jailed for 12 months after he admitted six counts of placing unsafe food on the market and one count of failing to protect food against the risk of contamination.

The Outbreak Control Team which handled the incident has been allowed to publish its report now that legal proceedings have finished.

Dr Gwen Lowe, who chaired the team, said many more people could have been infected had the outbreak not been controlled in the way it was.

She said: "I think the measures we put in place almost certainly prevented a wider outbreak than there might have been."

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Sallie Booth, a Partner at Irwin Mitchell Solicitors commented: It is quite alarming that in this day and age that avoidable outbreaks of E.coli are still happening.

Simple steps could have prevented this tragic incident in which a child died. Such a lack of concern for health and safety is not acceptable and this case shows just how serious the consequences can be.