Child dies in Scots E.coli outbreak linked to gourmet blue cheese

The child was among 20 confirmed cases of infection, 11 of whom had received hospital treatment.

Investigators had previously  "confirmed a significant majority"of  the 20 ate Dunsyre Blue, a mould ripened, gourmet cheese from Lanarkshire, prior to becoming unwell and before a recall of two batches of the cheese at the end of that month.

Dunsyre Blue creator Humphrey Errington of Errington Cheese had told on Friday about his concerns over the Food Standards Scotland ban on the product claiming the food safety wathdog had insufficient proof following July's outbreak.

The E.coli outbreak in July is the subject of a probe by the multi-agency Incident Management Team (IMT), that includes Health Protection Scotland and Food Standards Scotland’s Scottish arm.

Dr Alison Smith-Palmer, from the IMT said: I would like to take this opportunity to extend our deepest sympathies to the family of the child who has died.

"Our thoughts are with them at this time and we ask that their privacy be respected.

"All confirmed cases became unwell prior to the end of July. As there have been no new cases since then the IMT will now stand down and work to produce its final report."

Errington Cheese has argued that over 18,000 people will have eaten the cheese from the two withdrawn batches, and if Dunsyre Blue was culpable, illness would have been widespread.

The investigators are still to entirely prove yet that the cheese was responsible for the outbreak.

The IMT remains in the same position investigators were in a month ago, in that Dunsyre Blue is "the most likely" cause of the outbreak.

It says that despite extensive investigation, including looking for other possible food sources, "no other link to a majority of cases could be established".

The cheesemakers were initially forced to recall two batches but claim they were ordered to halt all sales or face enforcement action following the July outbreak which hospitalised two.

An IMT spokesman said last week: "In reaching any decisions on the actions to be taken, the protection of the public health is the first and paramount priority for the IMT.

"These decisions are fully and carefully discussed and agreed collectively by the IMT, and no individual has the power or authority to alter or over-ride these."

Mr Errington, who claimed the food safety watchdog's ban on sales was “unprecedented” says he has been told the investigation could take six months by which time, with a ban in place on the cheese which accounts for about two-thirds of the company’s revenue, his firm will be "dead".

He said last week that one customer has already indicated they may sue after being affected by the outbreak.

After taking advice, he said he believed they cannot take legal action against the Food Standards Agency, which he said took action without hard evidence, unless he can prove malice.

And said he feared for other firms that might be affected and have been affected in a similar way.

Dunsyre Blue is favoured by the Queen and Michelin-starred restaurants, including an eaterie run by renowned chef Andrew Fairlie at Gleneagles resort in Perthshire.

When the scare surface, 14 people in Scotland and two in England were known to have been struck down with E.coli in July, suffering stomach cramps, diarrhoea, vomiting and fever. Six others have come forward since.