The number suspected ill in an E. coli outbreak connected to a Belfast restaurant has risen to at least 282, Northern Ireland’s Public Health Agency announced on Tuesday. The number ill consists of 119 laboratory-confirmed cases and another 163 probable cases. Probable cases are those with exposure and corresponding symptoms, but who have not been tested for E. coli infection in a clinical laboratory. The restaurant, Flicks, was also connected to an E. coli outbreak in August that sickened four people. On Sunday the PHA announced that the two outbreaks were isolated incidents and the bacteria involved differed genetically. Flicks voluntarily closed on October 9 pending a public health investigation into the cause of the outbreak. In an interview with BBC, a Northern Ireland health official said that no E. coli outbreaks in the country prior to this had exceeded 20 cases, calling this one the nation’s “worst ever.” Illnesses first arose around September 24. The PHA encourages anyone who ate at the restaurant and experienced symptoms of E. coli infection to contact them immediately.
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