E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce turns deadly
E. coli-laced lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona region has claimed its first victim. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced on Wednesday that in addition to the more than one hundred reported cases of illness, an individual in California has lost their life due to the E. coli lettuce outbreak that began in March of this year.
Those infected with E. coli may experience symptoms consisting of severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Healthy individuals often recover in “five to seven days”. However, it’s not uncommon for some to develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (kidney failure), which can be “life threatening”. The E. coli strain linked to this lettuce has seen almost half of the people infected be admitted to the hospital, with 14 of them developing hemolytic uremic syndrome.
The CDC recommends that consumers:
- DO NOT eat or buy romaine unless you can confirm that it’s not from the Yuma, Arizona growing region.
- DO NOT eat romaine lettuce if you don’t know where it was grown
- This applies to: whole heads, hearts of romaine, chopped romaine, baby romaine, organic romaine, salads and mixes containing romaine.
To read more from CNN on the latest developments from the E. coli lettuce outbreak, click here: https://cnn.it/2HL08Cg
To learn more from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about the outbreak of E. coli, follow this link to visit the CDC’s website: https://bit.ly/2HhtHu6