Several people have died in Belgium from infection with toxin-producing E. coli bacteria

The federal food chain safety agency has launched an investigation to identify the source of the outbreak.

The infected people have been identified in at least eight nursing homes in Flanders, where seven deaths have occurred, and in a Walloon institution, where one person has died. Additional cases have also been reported from Brussels and Ottignies in Wallonia. There are currently 63 known cases of sick residents: 48 in Flanders, 14 in Wallonia and one in Brussels.

STEC is a variant of the E. coli bacteria that can cause fever, headache and acute diarrhea. In severe cases, the infection can lead to kidney failure, especially in children and the elderly.

The majority of the cases in Flanders were caused by a bacterium linked to the O157 strain. Investigations are still ongoing to determine whether the infections in Wallonia and Brussels stem from the same source.

Authorities say contaminated food may have been sold in several nursing homes a few weeks ago. Although no new food-borne illness has been identified, medical officers warn that some of the new cases could be the result of human-to-human transmission.

The investigation will involve taking samples from the affected institutions and checking the food supply chain, including shared suppliers. Authorities say the outbreak has been going on for weeks, making the investigation particularly complex.

According to local media, all the homes affected receive their food from the same food supplier.