As a virulent strain of E. coli sweeps across Europe, local health officials are assuring Canadians that the risk here is very low, reports Cyberpresse.
At least 16 are dead and over 1,200 Europeans have fallen ill from the particularly nasty outbreak of E. coli, believed to be caused by tainted vegetables like cucumbers and lettuce.
Officials are having trouble pinpointing the exact cause of the outbreak, which seems to originate from Germany, but may be caused by vegetables imported from Spain.
While German officials are warning their citizens to beware of consuming raw vegetables, and many European nations are removing Spanish produce from the shelves, the risk to Canadians so far remains low, since the country does not import many vegetables from Europe.
There is also some hope that the worst of the German outbreak may have passed.
"According to the latest information we have available from Germany, it appears that the outbreak is on the decline. Fewer people have been hospitalized over the past couple of days than before," European Union Health Commissioner John Dalli told journalists.
Consumers should still always practice basic food safety, including carefully washing their vegetables and cooking meat thoroughly before eating.