Minister of Health: E.coli Bacteria Can be Prevented by Lifestyle

Jakarta, Although there is in Europe, outbreaks of Escherichia coli or E. coli bacteria that shut down should be wary. Minister of Health urged people still do PHBS (Clean Living Healthy Behaviour) to prevent the bacteria E.coli.

Minister of Health stressed that Indonesia still secure from deadly bacteria Escherichia coli or new strains such as E. coli that hit Europe. But the minister still urge people to do the clean and healthy lifestyle.

"Indonesia should be wary, but what should we do to be aware of it is really clean and healthy lifestyle (Clean Living Healthy Behaviour), which had been recommended," said Minister of Health, Dr Endang Rahayu Sedyaningsih, MPH, Dr.PH on the sidelines of the Competition English Debate on HIV / AIDS and Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever in Kemenkes Building, Jakarta, Monday (06/06/2011).

Health Minister said PHBS means washing hands with soap before eating, after the toilet or bathroom, also wash your hands before preparing food.

"Because what happened in Europe said eating unwashed vegetables first. If we've suggested, if you can (vegetables) is cooked first (mature) if you can not for example want to make a salad or something, wash it first," said Menkes.

She believed that the deadly E. coli bacteria and horrendous in Europe is because of this new strain of E. coli that are resistant to antibiotics.

"Prevent E.coli that this (new strains of deadly) equal to prevent E. coli that cause diarrhea, which is clean and healthy lifestyle," said Minister of Health.

Earlier, Director General of Communicable Diseases Control and Environmental Health (P2PL) Kemenkes, Prof. Dr. Tjandra Yoga Aditama said that most of the stain or the actual type of E. coli are harmless. These bacteria can also be found in the intestines of humans and warm-blooded animals.

But the bacteria that attack the Europeans the last 2 weeks this is the latest strain of E.coli which can be deadly because it can lead to severe bleeding. New strains resistant to antibiotics which reputedly was named Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli, or EHEC.

"E. coli such as EHEC strains could lead to a dangerous and deadly diseases such as is happening in Europe right now," said Prof. Tjandra Yoga.

Symptoms of EHEC infection by Prof. Tjandra Yoga which include abdominal pain like cramps accompanied by diarrhea, which in some cases to bleed (haemorrhagic colitis). Other symptoms that often accompany a fever and nausea-vomiting.

EHEC incubation period ranges from 3 to 8 days, or an average of 4 days. Most can heal by itself within 10 days, but in certain cases such as those in Europe, the infection can progress to Haemolytic Uraemic Syndrome (HUS).

Symptoms of HUS serious enough, among which are accompanied by acute renal failure damage to red blood cells, nerve disorders, stroke and coma. It is estimated that about 10 percent of patients infected with EHEC will continue to HUS, with a mortality rate of 3-5 percent.

"The airport is recommended that for those who come from Germany especially, if the abdominal pain at the airport especially bloody diarrhea and then the person observed," Prof. Tjandra.