Bacteria scare in Europe unlikely to affect S. Korea: gov't

SEOUL, June 6 (Yonhap) -- The bacteria scare in Europe is unlikely to affect South Korea mainly because the country has banned imports of European vegetables, the country's disease control agency said Monday. The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (KCDC) said deaths caused by the enterohemorrhagic E. coli (EHEC) bacteria in some countries such as Germany were caused by eating tainted food. EHEC can bring about hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS) that can cause critical damage to blood cells, kidneys and liver, leading to death in very serious cases. Authorities have reported 17 deaths from the latest bacteria infection in Europe. "EHEC can spread widely if people eat bad food, but it becomes less likely to be transmitted afterward since HUS can only be passed through direct contact with a sick person," it said. The agency said that because of such characteristics, it unlikely that the disease will be a problem in the country. "There is a possibility that people who visited Europe and ate tainted food may get sick, although the number of such cases should be small," KCDC said. The agency, meanwhile, said that strict inspections will be maintained on all arrivals for at least a month with close monitoring of events taking place in Europe. Further cases could affect Seoul's quarantine inspection period. Seoul said that since 2001 it has cataloged nine cases of EHEC similar to those that hit Europe recently.