Law enforcement is en route to provide assistance.

Members of parliament have requested a situation report from the state government for this coming Thursday, as the number of EHEC cases in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern continues to rise. The outbreak, caused by certain strains of the gut bacterium E. coli, has affected a significant number of individuals, with many families from other federal states who spent their holidays in the region also affected.

The CDU faction leader, Daniel Peters, has urged for the involvement of the state police in finding the source of the infection. He has also proposed the establishment of a crisis team to facilitate coordination across departmental boundaries. This crisis team would aim to expedite the search for the source and minimise further infections.

EHEC, or enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli, is a particularly dangerous strain of E. coli. These microbes produce Shiga toxins, strong cell poisons that can cause severe diarrhea and a potentially life-threatening condition called hemolytic-uremic syndrome (HUS). So far, 12 patients, mostly children, have developed HUS as a result of the outbreak.

The Health Committee of the state parliament is holding a special session to discuss the EHEC outbreak in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The session, initiated by the opposition CDU, will take place behind closed doors. The state health authority has stated that a food trigger for the outbreak has not yet been identified.

Peters has expressed concern that children are particularly suffering from severe illnesses in the current EHEC outbreak. He believes that the upcoming school start poses the risk that infections will spread even faster. As of now, 15 affected individuals are still being treated in hospital, and a total of 43 cases have been registered since mid-August.

The CDU politician has called for increased vigilance and swift action to find the source of the infection and prevent further cases. The state government and health authorities are under pressure to provide a comprehensive report on the situation and outline their plans for containing the outbreak.