UNITED STATES
CDC warns about romaine lettuce after E. coli outbreak
Nov 20, 2018, 4:38 PM | Updated: Aug 3, 2022, 2:39 pm
SALT LAKE CITY — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have warned U.S. and Canadian consumers to get rid of romaine lettuce after 32 people in 11 states have been infected with a strain of Shiga toxin causing an E. coli outbreak.
“CDC is advising that U.S. consumers not eat any romaine lettuce, and retailers and restaurants not serve or sell any, until we learn more about the outbreak. This investigation is ongoing and the advice will be updated as more information is available,” the agency stated in a press release.
How Serious Is This E. Coli Outbreak?
According to the CDC, no deaths have been reported from the illness but thirteen people were hospitalized, including one person who began to develop kidney failure.
Canadian officials have identified 18 people infected with the same “DNA fingerprint of E. coli O157:H7” in Ontario and Quebec.
If you have eaten romaine lettuce recently and are feeling ill, the CDC encourages people to seek their physician if symptoms get worse.
Is It Connected To The Previous Outbreak?
The CDC states that those who are sickened by this outbreak are infected by the same strain from an E. coli outbreak that happened in 2017.
The current outbreak, E. coli O157:H7, is not connected to a recent outbreak of infections link to romaine lettuce.
We will update this story when we have more information.