RIYADH/DAMMAM/JEDDAH: The Ministry of Agriculture has placed a temporary ban on vegetable imports from Europe starting next week in response to the toxic E.coli virus which has killed 17 people, while the Ministry of Health issued a warning to travelers Saturday. Jaber Al-Shihri, the agriculture ministry's undersecretary for Animal Resources, said the Kingdom does not import vegetables from Europe in sufficient quantities to seriously affect consumers. “The Kingdom is working with international and local organizations to determine the safety of vegetables,” Al-Shihri said. “I would ask the public not to panic because most of the Kingdom's vegetable imports come from countries in north Arabia, and Sri Lanka, India and Ethiopia. The ministry has tasked a local committee with monitoring all types of imported vegetables.” A source at the Ministry of Agriculture in the Eastern Province said the General Administration for Agricultural Affairs had yet to receive any official notice concerning the “cucumber bacteria”, but said it was “dealing firmly with the matter”. “Most of the cucumber crop is produced locally, so there is no need to worry about transmission of the bacteria to the Kingdom,” the source said. Ali Marzouk, a farmer, said it is unlikely the fatal bacterium has entered the Kingdom given that the harvest season has passed. “Most farmers cleared their cucumber farms at the end of May and will only start planting again in September,” he said. “Most cucumbers sold in the region come from Riyadh and Tabuk.” The Ministry of Health, meanwhile, issued a warning Saturday to all persons traveling to Europe and particularly Germany concerning the E.coli bacterium outbreak. The ministry warned consumers to ensure that all fresh vegetables are cleaned properly before consumption and to seek medical attention should any unusual symptoms appear during their stay or upon their return to the Kingdom. It described the symptoms as “bloody diarrhea, nausea, stomach cramps, vomiting and mild fever”. The United Arab Emirates has already placed a temporary ban on cucumbers from Spain, Germany, Denmark and the Netherlands, while Russia's ban on vegetables from the entire European Union to stop the outbreak spreading east has been described by the EU as disproportionate. The bacterium affects the blood and kidneys, and most fatalities had traveled in northern Germany. More than 1,500 cases and 11 fatalities have been reported in Germany as authorities continue to try and identify the source of the strain.
