2 die as U.K. health officials investigate hundreds of E. coli cases nationwide

June 27 (UPI) -- British officials said on Thursday that two people have died from E. coli as they investigate 276 confirmed cases from a recent outbreak.

Officials said 182 of those cases with the E. coli strain of STEC 0145 have been documented in England, with another 58 in Scotland, 31 in Wales and four in Northern Ireland. Officials said all of the cases involved people who started developing symptoms before June 4.

"Although case-reporting rates are declining, we expect to see more cases linked to this outbreak as further samples are referred to us from NHS laboratories and whole genome sequencing is conducted," a statement from the British Health Security Agency said.

The agency said two people from England have died in the past 28 days connected with the outbreak. Both individuals who died in May had underlying medical conditions, but officials did not elaborate further on those factors.

"Symptoms of infections with STEC include severe and sometimes bloody diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting and fever," Amy Douglas, the incident director of the agency, said. "While diarrhea and vomiting can have a range of causes, there are simple steps you can take to reduce your risk of infecting others."

Douglas said the best steps include washing hands thoroughly with soap and warm water and disinfecting surfaces. She said people who are not feeling well should avoid preparing food for others or traveling to a setting where they will be near multiple people.

The current E. coli outbreak is believed to be caused by salad leaves on supermarket sandwiches. Several food makers have removed suspected products from their shelves as a precautionary measure.

Darren Whitby, head of incidents with the agency, said the actions were voluntary, and it helped them to narrow down possible causes.

"This remains a complex investigation and we continue to work with the relevant businesses and local authorities to ensure necessary steps are being taken to protect consumers," Whitby said in a statement.

"Although we are confident in the likely source of the outbreak being linked to lettuce, work continues to confirm this and identify the root cause of the outbreak with the growers, suppliers and manufacturers so that actions can be taken to prevent a re-occurrence."