Global General

E coli death toll up to at least 48

(Agencies)
Updated: 2011-06-28 18:48

BERLIN - Germany has reported one more death in Europe's E coli outbreak, taking the total to at least 48.

The Robert Koch Institute, Germany's disease control center, said Tuesday 47 deaths have now been reported in the country. One person has died in Sweden and officials say one death in the US may be linked to the outbreak.

New infections have declined significantly over recent weeks but overall numbers are still rising due to delays in notification.

The disease control center says 3,901 people have been reported sick in Germany - including 838 suffering from a complication that can lead to kidney failure.

A further 119 cases have been reported in 15 other countries.

The source has been traced to a sprout farm in northern Germany. It's unclear how the sprouts were contaminated.