Thirty-Five Reported Cases of E. Coli Linked To Arizona Romaine Lettuce
YUMA, ARIZ. — Contaminated chopped romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Ariz., is likely to blame for the E. Coli outbreak that has infected 35 people across 11 states, including 22 hospitalizations, according to the CDC.
“Consumers anywhere in the United States who have store-bought chopped romaine lettuce at home, including salads and salad mixes containing chopped romaine lettuce, should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick,” the CDC said in a statement.
If a consumer is unsure if the lettuce is romaine and if a restaurant or retailer has romaine lettuce from the Yuma area, 185 miles southwest of Phoenix, the CDC recommended that the lettuce should be discarded.
The three people that have been hospitalized with E. Coli in this outbreak have developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome, the CDC said.
No deaths have been reported, and the last related illness was reported on March 31.
Of the 35 illnesses reported in this outbreak, nine people were in Pennsylvania, eight in Idaho and seven people in New Jersey. Other states that have reported cases include Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Virginia and Washington, the CDC said.
Source: ABC News