LUXEMBOURG, June 7 (UPI) -- European Union ministers are reviewing food safety and market issues in the wake of the E.coli outbreak that killed at least 22 people and sickened thousands.
The union's 27 agriculture ministers were to assess the implications of the outbreak during a meeting Tuesday in Luxembourg, Europa reported.
Health ministers are conducting an investigation along the food chain to pinpoint the source of contamination, the European Union's news publication said. The outbreak mainly is affecting people in northern Germany and people who have visited the region since the beginning of May.
Symptoms of the infection include stomach pain and bloody diarrhea. In the most serious cases it can lead to kidney failure and even death.
In its update Monday evening, the World Health Organization said the outbreak remained centered in Germany and it was continuing its investigation into the bacteria and its source. At least 22 people have died since the outbreak, and thousands of people have fallen ill.
The WHO said all but one of the confirmed cases were in people who had traveled to or lived in Germany during the incubation period for infection.
