Bill Reilly: Identified key precautionary measures

Professor Hugh Pennington, a member of the task force, warned last week that people should not camp in fields recently used by livestock.

His warning came after 13 girl guides and their leader contracted E.coli O157 after camping in a field in Inverclyde last month.

That followed a scout camp in Aberdeenshire last year in which 18 children were infected after camping in fields.

The E.coli Task Force's report, published in Edinburgh, detailed measures that will hopefully lead to the eradication of the bug.

'Key themes'

Scientists say E.coli O157 is a particular problem in Scotland but the lessons of the report are likely to be applied throughout the UK.

Speaking after the launch of the publication, Professor Bill Reilly of the Task Force said the success of the initiative hinged on education and communication.

Prof Reilly said: "That could be hygiene in the home, on holiday, on the farm. It can be communication at school to the workforce, to the farming community and to the health professionals.

"These are the two key themes."

Prof Pennington said: "What we don't want people to do, for example, is to go camping on a field where cattle and sheep have just left that field leaving it covered with animal manure.

Prof Pennington: Fields warning

"Last year, for example, we had a really rather large 20-case outbreak in a scout camp where that very thing happened.

"The issue I think here is that 20 years ago this bug was not a problem, or it was a very minor problem.

"Over the last decade it has become commoner.

"What one did as a child one cannot do now with the same degree of freedom because of this particular bug."