Georgia eColi Case Prompts Romaine Lettuce Warning From CDC

ATLANTA, GA — The multi-state E. coli outbreak has spread to 19 states, and sickened at least 84 people, including one Georgian, a health update issued Wednesday said. Consumers should not eat or buy romaine lettuce unless they can confirm it was not grown in the Yuma, Arizona, region, which is the suspected source of the outbreak. The Centers for Disease Control said whole heads and hearts of romaine lettuce, in addition to chopped romaine, salads and salad mixes containing romaine should all be tossed out.

Today CDC officials said 31 more ill people from 10 states were added to the outbreak tally since the last update on April 18. Three more states have reported ill people: Colorado, Georgia, and South Dakota.

Health officials say the most recent illness started on April 12. Illnesses that occurred in the last two to three weeks might not yet be reported because of the time between when a person becomes ill with E. coli and when the illness is reported to CDC.

Health officials say that though only one case has been linked to the outbreak in Georgia so far, it's still just as important to toss any romaine you have — unless you can confirm where it originated. A specific grower, grocery store, restaurant chain, supplier, distributor or brand has not been identified as the source of infections, the CDC said.

"Unless the source of the product is known, consumers anywhere in the United States who have any store-bought romaine lettuce at home 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.

The CDC said residents do not need to avoid any specific types of food or restaurants.

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The CDC also said restaurants and retailers should not serve or sell any romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region.

"Product labels often do not identify growing regions; so, throw out any romaine lettuce if you're uncertain about where it was grown," the CDC said.

The CDC expanded its warning based on information from new illnesses reported in Alaska. Health officials interviewed those who had fallen ill at a correctional facility in Alaska and they reported eating romaine lettuce. The lettuce in question came from whole heads of romaine lettuce from the Yuma growing region, the CDC said.

No deaths have been reported from the outbreak, but 42 people have been hospitalized and several people developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.

So far, the states with the most confirmed cases are Pennsylvania with 18, followed by California with 13, Idaho with 10, New Jersey with 7 and Montana with 7.

Symptoms of HUS can include fever, abdominal pain, pale skin tone, fatigue and irritability, small, unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, and decreased urination.People who experience these symptoms should seek emergency medical care immediately.

The CDC says that anyone who has symptoms of E.coli should write down what they ate in the week before they became sick. The illness should be reported to the local health department.

Experts offer these tips to avoid exposure to the bacteria:

• Wash your hands. Wash hands after using the restroom or changing diapers, before and after preparing or eating food, and after contact with animals.
• Cook meats thoroughly to kill harmful germs. Cook steaks and roasts to at least 145˚F and let rest for 3 minutes after you remove meat from the grill or stove. Cook ground beef and pork to at least 160˚F. Use a food thermometer to check the temperature of the meat.
• Don't cross-contaminate food preparation areas. Thoroughly wash hands, counters, cutting boards, and utensils after they touch raw meat.
• Wash fruits and vegetables before eating, unless the package says the contents have been washed.
• Avoid raw milk, other unpasteurized dairy products, and unpasteurized juices.
• Don't prepare food or drink for others when you are sick.

You can find more information about the outbreak here.

Feroze Dhanoa, Patch National Staff contributed to this report.

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