If you’ve been following the news recently, you’ve likely seen the recent announcements concerning a range of different food recalls. One major one was when more than 200 million eggs linked to Rose Acre Farms in North Carolina were recalled for fear of a salmonella outbreak. Nearly the same time, the CDC asked consumers to be careful when buying romaine lettuce for fear that it was contaminated with E. coli.
Though the initial April 13th announcement was serious, the story has gotten progressively worse in the passing weeks.
Shortly thereafter, the CDC released several updates on the story as E. coli infections spread throughout the United States.
When the story was first announced, there had been 35 reported cases in 11 different states. Soon after, that number grew to 53 cases in 16 states before they released another update. The most recent update on this story is that there have now been 121 cases of food poisoning as a result of contaminated romaine lettuce with a reach spanning 25 states. Up until now, the illnesses had been relatively serious, with 52 hospitalizations and 14 cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome among them.
Sadly, things have gotten worse: the CDC just announced the first of these cases that resulted in a death in California.
While the US Food and Drug Administration initially identified Harrison Farms in Yuma, Arizona as a likely origin, the story has since gotten more complicated.
While many of the initial cases, particularly those that happened in Alaska, seemed easily traceable back to Harrison Farms, health officials now say that they can not definitely say where the outbreak began. To restate their concerns and warnings to the public, the CDC released both an update to their official statement and a post on their Facebook page. The latter reads:
“E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce now includes 121 sick people from 25 states. Do not eat or buy ANY type of romaine lettuce unless you can confirm it is not from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. Packages often don’t include information about where lettuce was grown, so if you’re in doubt, don’t eat or buy romaine. This includes whole heads of lettuce, hearts of romaine, chopped romaine, baby romaine, organic romaine, and salad mixes with romaine.”
For anyone who doesn’t already know from past updates, the CDC has announced that this strain of E. coli is particularly dangerous.
While humans have some forms of E. coli living in their digestive tract that are perfectly safe and beneficial, the strain spreading through lettuce is O157:H7. When taken into our bodies, these microorganisms end up producing Shiga toxin, a poison that can lead to any number of severe health complications. For anyone who has unintentionally consumed romaine lettuce, it’s important to know the signs and symptoms of poisoning and to act quickly. In general, some of the symptoms may include harsh stomach cramps, diarrhea (sometimes with blood as well) and vomiting.
Anyone experiencing these symptoms should head the hospital, particularly if there’s any concurrent kidney pain.
Although the initial advisory was simply not to purchase romaine heads or mixed bags originating from Yuma, Arizona, even more caution may now be required.
According to the CDC’s update, any E. coli illnesses that happened after April 11th may not have even been reported yet. That’s because it may take up to two to three weeks for someone who has experienced E. coli poisoning to actually start showing symptoms and seek help (which can then be recorded). To remain on the safe side, keep avoiding romaine lettuce altogether until more information has been released. If you’re planning on eating at restaurants, be sure to ask providers how they sourced their food as well.
As this story develops, look out for any updates on this page or through the CDC’s official website.
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