As of April 20, 2018, there are officially 53 people sick in the E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that is linked to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region, according to the CDC. But how many people are really sick in this multistate outbreak? According to news reports and state health departments, the outbreak total could be 66. On Friday, April 20, 2018, the Alaska Department of Health & Social Services issued a press release stating that eight confirmed cases of E. coli O157:H7 infections have been identified at the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center. Those patients are not included in the CDC count. The CDC case count for Alaska is one person ill, although the latest notice states that the seven patients will be added to the next update case count. The CDC count … [Read more...]
How Many Are Actually Sick in E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak Linked to Romaine Lettuce?
CDC Now Tells Consumers to Avoid ALL Types of Romaine Lettuce Because of E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak
Consumers should now avoid all types of romaine lettuce, the CDC informed us, based on "new information" in the E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that has sickened dozens in 16 states. That information came from Alaska, where an E. coli O157:H7 Outbreak at the Anvil Mountain Correctional Center, which sickened 8 people, was linked to whole romaine lettuce heads. Consumers should not buy or eat romaine lettuce, either at a grocery store, deli, or restaurant, unless you can confirm it is not from Yuma, Arizona. That can be a difficult and perhaps impossible task. Product labels often don't identify growing regions. If you have any store-bought romaine lettuce in your home, do not eat it. Throw it away, even if someone has eaten part of it and not gotten sick. It only takes 10 E. coli … [Read more...]
Law Firm Investigates 53 Illnesses, 31 Hospitalizations in E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak Linked to Chopped Romaine
The E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that is linked to chopped romaine lettuce has now sickened 53 people in 16 states. Thirty-one people have been hospitalized because they have been so sick, and five people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a serious complication of this infection that can cause kidney failure. That is an addition of 18 people to the outbreak total in just five days. Five more states have been added to the list. Nine more hospitalizations have now been included in the total, and two more patients have developed HUS. The case count by state is: Alaska (2), Arizona (3), California (1, Connecticut (2), Idaho (10), Illinois (1), Louisiana (1), Michigan (2), Missouri (1), Montana (6), New Jersey (7), New York (2), Ohio (2), Pennsylvania (12), Virginia (1), … [Read more...]
Nine People in Pennsylvania Sick in E. coli O157:H7 Romaine Lettuce Outbreak; One Has HUS
Nine people in Pennsylvania are sick in the multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak the CDC has linked to chopped romaine lettuce. Six of those people have been hospitalized, and one person has developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), which is a kind of kidney failure, according to Nate Wardle, Press Secretary of the Pennsylvania Department of Health. This is not the same outbreak as the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak that took place in November and December 2017. In that outbreak, which was linked to leafy greens, 25 people in 15 states were sick, two developed HUS, and one death was reported from California. In this new outbreak, officials believe that chopped romaine lettuce from the growing region in Yuma, Arizona is linked to the illness. The first illness was reported on March 22, … [Read more...]
FDA Adds Its Voice to Multistate E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak Linked to Chopped Romaine Lettuce
The FDA is adding its voice to the multistate E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that is linked to chopped romaine from the Yuma growing region in Arizona. Last week, Food Poisoning Bulletin told you that government officials did not have a specific food in mind. On Friday, the CDC announced that the chopped greens were the likely source. Thirty-five people in 11 states are sick in this E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak. Ninety-three percent of the patients interviewed said they ate romaine lettuce the week before they got sick. Most of those people ate salad at a restaurant; romaine lettuce was the common ingredient. The restaurants said they used bagged, chopped romaine lettuce to make the salads. The FDA, in conjunction with federal, state, and local partners, found that the chopped … [Read more...]
Idaho Hard Hit in E. coli O157:H7 HUS Outbreak Linked to Chopped Romaine Lettuce
Idaho has been hard hit in the multistate E. coli O157:H7 HUS outbreak that the CDC has linked to chopped romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona area. Eight people in that state are ill with this serious infection. Three of those patients have been hospitalized; two have developed a type of kidney failure that sometimes occurs with this infection called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). All of the patients told investigators that they ate romaine lettuce in the 10 days before they got sick. All of the patients are adults between the ages of 20 and 55. No deaths have been reported in this outbreak. While government officials believe that the lettuce came from the Yuma, Arizona growing region, no specific grower, supplier, distributor, or brand has been identified. And no … [Read more...]
Lawyers Investigating Multistate E. coli O157:H7 Infections Linked to Chopped Romaine
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention just announced that the E. coli O157:H7 outbreak they have been investigating is now linked to chopped romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona region. As of April 12, 2018, 35 people in 11 states are sick with the outbreak strain. Twenty-two of those patients have been hospitalized; three patients have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a type of kidney failure. No common growers, supplier, distributor, or brand has been identified so far, but government officials recommended that anyone, anywhere in the country, who has purchased chopped romaine lettuce, including salads and salad mixes containing that green, should throw it away. If you aren't sure where the lettuce came from, get rid of it. Discard it even if some of it has … [Read more...]
Lawyer Warns of E. coli Danger at Petting Zoos
Attorneys Fred Pritzker and Ryan Osterholm are warning about the dangers of E. coli infections from petting zoos. As the weather warms and summer starts, petting zoos are popular attractions for families with young children. Unfortunately, those venues can be and have been the source of serious and even deadly E. coli outbreaks. The issue is that ruminant animals often held at petting zoos, such as goats, sheep, and cows, can carry Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) bacteria in their guts. The animals don't get sick from this pathogenic bacteria because they lack the gene that permits the bacteria to grow and produce toxins that destroy red blood cells. The bacteria are shed in the animal's feces. From there, they can get onto the animal's coat, its bedding, and the … [Read more...]
CDC Investigating Multistate Outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 Infections
A multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections is being investigated by the CDC, several states, the FDA, and the USDA. This is a continuation of the outbreak that started in New Jersey and was reported on by the New Jersey Department of Health. Earlier this week, the NJDOH reported that seven people were sick with E. coli infections in an outbreak that may be associated with a restaurant chain. Now, at least 17 people in 7 states are sick. Six people have been hospitalized. No deaths have been reported. Investigators are using the PulseNet system to find people who may be part of this particular outbreak. DNA fingerprinting has been performed on isolates taken from ill persons using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and whole genome sequencing (WGS). Lab testing is … [Read more...]
New Jersey Updates E. coli Outbreak That May Be Linked to a Restaurant Chain
The E. coli outbreak in New Jersey has been updated by the New Jersey Department of Health. Eight people living in four counties in that state have been diagnosed with E. coli infections. Those counties are Hunterdon (4 patients), Warren (1 patient), Middlesex (1 patient) and Somerset (2 patients.) There is a "possible association with a chain restaurant" according to the outbreak notice. But the notice also states that "the association may be broader than a single chain restaurant." Lab tests are underway, and public health officials are waiting to see if the strain of E. coli bacteria in the eight patents in this E. coli outbreak match. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) will then conduct confirmatory tests. All eight patients have been hospitalized in this … [Read more...]
