A chicken wraps E. coli O157:H7 outbreak has sickened 38 people, according to the FDA. This outbreak was announced on the FDA Core Outbreak Investigation Table, which is unusual. The FDA and CDC typically announce outbreaks, and sometimes they are announced in a food recall.
We do not know where the patients live, the illness onset dates, the patient age range, or whether or not anyone has been hospitalized. We also do not know the brand of chicken wraps or where they were sold. We do know that the wraps are no longer available for sale and are past their shelf life.
The sandwiches were removed from the market when the outbreak was discovered. And no recall has been announced. Sometimes wraps are sold in grocery stores, or they could be sold through convenience stores or even vending machines.
We also do not know what ingredient in the wraps is contaminated. The definition by the FDA is “ready to eat, multi-ingredient chicken wraps.” Chicken is usually not a source of E. coli bacteria in outbreaks. E. coli out breaks linked to ingredients that could be used to make wraps include lettuce, baby spinach, onions, and carrots.
The FDA has initiated traceback, inspection, and sampling of products to try to solve this outbreak. The USDA is investigating the chicken used to make the wraps, while the FDA is investigating everything else.
If you have eaten chicken wraps and have been ill with the symptoms of an E. coli infection or hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a type of kidney failure that can be a complication of this type of infection, see your doctor. You may be part of this outbreak.
