North Bay E Coli toll has risen to 131. According to health officials, 22 cases had been confirmed after lab tests whereas 22 other showed clear symptoms of the disease.

The outbreak is the result of contaminated food served at Harvey’s restaurant.

Dr Bill Clarke remarked that people severe gastro-enteritis had a 30 per cent increased risk of high blood pressure or kidney damage.

"The good news is, if you identify the silent complications, with treatment, as we did in Walkerton, these people will stabilize and won't progress to long-term complications," Clark told CBC News.

Medical officer of health Dr. Catherine Whiting has urged people suffering from E. coli infection to take precautions to prevent its spread to others, such as proper handwashing.

"I think it's plateaued," Whiting said, noting the incubation period for the bacteria ends early next week. "But mixed into this are secondary cases .… I expect we're going to see more of those as the outbreak winds down."