Japan declares food poisoning threat receding .  TOKYO 1996-08-27  The government said on Tuesday that the threat from a mysterious killer germ , while still requiring vigilance , appears to be receding in the western Japan city of Sakai , where the epidemic hit the hardest .  The food poisoning epidemic caused by the O-157 colon bacillus in Sakai appears to be " settling down " , Health Minister Naoto Kan was quoted by a government spokesman as telling the cabinet .  The O-157 colon bacillus has been found responsible for a widespread food poisoning epidemic that has killed 11 people and made over 9,500 ill this year .  Sakai , near the regional commercial centre of Osaka , has been hit hardest by the deadly bacteria , with nearly 6,500 , mostly schoolchildren , affected by the disease .  Two children in Sakai have died from complications associated with the bacteria .  Kan told a cabinet meeting on Tuesday that no new victims have been reported since August 8 , indicating that the peak has passed , at least for Sakai .  Sakai officials agreed with the assessment , but said it was too early to feel relieved .  " There are still patients hospitalised and problems which must be dealt with , " a city spokesman said , citing the issue of whether to allow children infected with the bacteria but not showing symptoms to attend school from September .  Health authorities believe school lunches were the source of the food poisoning in Sakai , but researchers have been unable to pinpoint the exact source of the infection .  The outbreak has prompted authorities to tighten sanitary standards at slaughterhouses and meatpacking plants and sparked calls for an overhaul of the nation 's school lunch programme .  The ministers agreed at Tuesday 's cabinet meeting to step up inspection measures for school lunches in September and October , when schools around the country resume .  Japan 's Agriculture Ministry also announced that it will compile hygiene guidelines based on [START_ENT] U.S. [END_ENT] government methods of checking the safety of farm produce to prevent another outbreak of the epidemic .  As of Monday , 31 children were still hospitalised in Sakai city , of whom six were in serious condition .
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