The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a warning about the dangers of consuming chopped romaine lettuce from Yuma, Arizona. Lettuce grown in this region is likely to be the source of an E.coli outbreak across the country.
The numbers for the outbreak keep rising and now, people in 11 states have been affected by E.coli.
E.coli Outbreak
In the latest update by the CDC regarding the current E.coli outbreak, it says that there have been 35 cases of people contracting E.coli. Twenty-two of the cases have sent patients to the hospital. Three of the people have contracted hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure that can be life-threatening.
People that have been infected range from the age of 12 to 84. In the statement, the CDC says that to avoid the outbreak from spreading further, people should avoid eating lettuce if they can't determine where it came from. No deaths have been reported since the outbreak began.
To date, the CDC has not identified any distributor, supplier, or grower of romaine lettuce as the source of the outbreak. It is still investigating how the outbreak occurred in the first place. Officials say that E.coli O157:H7 has been infecting people and that involves a dangerous strain of bacteria called Shiga.
States that have reported to be suffering from the outbreak include Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. The state with the highest number of infections is Pennsylvania, where nine people were infected. This is followed by Idaho with eight and New Jersey with seven.
Symptoms To Look Out For
People who consume food infected with E.coli get sick about three to four days after ingesting the food. This can clear up in five to seven days but some infections can become more serious. Symptoms of E.coli can range from diarrhea, severe stomach cramps, and vomiting.
The CDC says that people who are exhibiting these symptoms should consult a doctor immediately. During this outbreak, people have also contracted hemolytic uremic syndrome which has more severe symptoms than regular E.coli. Those symptoms include fever, abdominal pain, pale skin tone, fatigue and irritability, unexplained bruises, bleeding from the nose and mouth, and decreased urination.
HUS is more likely develop in people that are younger than 5, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems. There was a separate E.coli outbreak in late 2017, which resulted in one death
