A CASE of E.Coli which nearly killed a man will not be investigated further, the Health Protection Agency (HPA) has confirmed.
Kevin Small of Ching Way, Chingford, was left fighting for his life after being diagnosed with the infection last month.
The case involved the 0157 strain and not 0104 which has killed dozens of people in Europe.
Mr Small developed stomach cramps and diarrhoea the day after eating at a pub.
His GP immediately sent him to Whipps Cross University Hospital, where doctors told him the beef he had eaten was the likely cause.
A week of agony followed for the 43-year-old as his intestines swelled to the point of rupture and his stomach “felt like it was going to explode”.
He is now recuperating at home, but is too unwell to leave his bed.
HPA said the source of the infection is not being investigated as there had been only one reported case.
A spokeswoman added: “There are other ways to contract E. Coli but with one case it’s pretty much impossible to say exactly what the cause is.”
Mr Small said: “My intestines were swollen so far when I arrived that I was told I could’ve died.
"Sometimes the pain was so severe I actually thought I was dying there and then.”
“I didn’t know what to do but the nurses were blinding, I can’t fault them.”
“When I breathe in there’s a stabbing pain, it feels like a stitch running down the right hand side of my stomach. ”
Mr Small’s partner, Sharon Dunkley, 39, said: “It’s frustrating because we don’t want anyone else to go through what Kevin has.”
“Nobody will ever know what he went through, I was so scared he was going to die.”
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