Death toll from tainted lettuce rises to five
- by Valerie Santiago
- in Medical
- — Jun 6, 2018
According to the CDC, most of the people who recently became ill in the latest update (June 1) ate romaine lettuce when lettuce from the Yuma growing region was likely still available in stores, restaurants, or in peoples' homes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the tally Friday, more than two months after the first illnesses occurred in mid-March.
In total, 197 cases of illness tied to the E coli O157:H7 strain of bacteria were linked to tainted romaine lettuce, with cases spread across 35 states.
More news: Former DIA officer charged with trying to pass secrets to Chinese intelligenceThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is investigating the outbreak alongside the CDC, believes that the probable link to all these illnesses is romaine lettuce sourced from the winter growing areas in and around the Yuma growing region in Arizona. The four new fatalities were reported in Arkansas, Minnesota and NY, whilst the first death, announced on May 2, occurred in California. Some patients did not report eating the lettuce, though they had close contact with someone else who'd become infected. "While traceback continues, the FDA will focus on trying to identify factors that contributed to contamination of romaine across multiple supply chains", the FDA said in a statement.
The good news is that the contaminated lettuce is no longer on the shelves for sale.
But in early spring, Yuma is the main source for lettuce sold across much of the U.S.
More news: Footballers Who Will Probably Be Playing Their Last World CupAfter taking a short break, Romaine Lettuce has started affecting more people across the country, making it tough for people to consume many things.
While washing produce may remove pesticide residue, dirt and debris, it's not effective at eliminating E. coli, which can even get into the interior of lettuce. As of now, many supplies have been infected and it has become quite tough to consume romaine lettuce.
Because majority of the illnesses came from prepackaged vegetables that have been passed on from suppliers to distributors to processing facilities where they were chopped and bagged, finding out where they were grown is far more cumbersome.
More news: The Last Jedi's Kelly Marie Tran Deletes Her Instagram After Fan HarassmentThe reported strain of E. coli, which produces poisonous substances known as Shiga toxins, can cause severe stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting. The majority of people who fell ill recovered within a week. More severe cases included kidney failure and death.
