Does the E. coli outbreak that has sickened at least 11 people who ate undercooked restaurant burgers in OH, MI, MA and MO include seven reported cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) in Kansas? State health authorities are working with the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to find out.
“We are still investigating the origin and if there are any links between these cases,” Sara Belfry, Communications Director of the Kansas Dept. of Health and Environment said in an e-mail today. “The cases are in four counties- Nemaha, Cowley, Harvey and Sedgwick. Four people are currently hospitalized. We continue to work with the local health departments as well as the hospitals to confirm these cases.”
Three of the four people who remain hospitalized in Kansas are children from the Wichita area. HUS is a life-threatening condition that develops in about 15 percent of children with E. coli infections. The condition, which causes kidney failure, is fatal in 5 to 10 percent of cases.
At least 11 people in four states have confirmed cases of E.coli O157 poisoning, five in Michigan, four in Ohio, 1 in Missouri and 1 in Massachusetts. A recall for almost 2 million pounds of ground beef products produced by Wolverine Packing Company of Detroit has been issued. The recall included a 97-page list of ground beef products distributed to retail and restaurant locations nationwide.
Health officials have not released the names of restaurants involved. Consumers are advised not to order or prepare rare burgers, When dining out ask for them to be cooked to an internal temperature of 160˚ F, the temperature required to kill E. coli. At home, use an instant read food thermometer. Color or time cooked are not reliable measures of food safety.
