NEW YORK, United States - An outbreak of E. coli linked to romaine lettuce appears to have been traced to crops in California, the US food authority said Monday.
American consumers were warned against eating the leafy salad by health officials last week.
The outbreak has caused 43 people to become sick in the US and another 22 in Canada, according to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
"Our investigation at this point suggests that romaine lettuce associated with the outbreak comes from areas of California that grow romaine lettuce over the summer months," the FDA said in a statement.
"The outbreak appears to be related to 'end of season' romaine lettuce harvested from these areas," it said.
The harvest has now shifted to other areas and it was "critically important to have a 'clean break' in the romaine supply available to consumers in the US in order to purge the market of potentially contaminated romaine lettuce," the FDA said.
It added that the break in supply appears to have been accomplished after officials requested on November 20 that the produce be withdrawn from the market and destroyed.
On the same day -- two days before the Thanksgiving holiday when Americans gather and feast together -- the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention advised consumers not to eat any romaine lettuce and to throw away any they might have in their homes.
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source: news.abs-cbn.com
Five people in the United States have died after eating romaine lettuce that was contaminated with E. coli bacteria, whose source remains a mystery, officials said Friday.
A total of 197 people have fallen ill in 35 states, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Since mid-May, "four more deaths were reported, bringing the total to five deaths from Arkansas (1), California (1), Minnesota (2), and New York (1)," the CDC said in a statement.
The outbreak is the largest in the United States since 2006, when spinach tainted with a similar strain of E. coli sickened more than 200 people.
The latest batch of illnesses are believed to be linked to romaine lettuce grown in the Yuma, Arizona region.
However, the investigation continues and the US Food and Drug Administration has said "the illnesses associated with this outbreak cannot be explained by a single grower, harvester, processor, or distributor."
Romaine lettuce grown in the Arizona region was last harvested in mid-April.
"It is unlikely that any romaine lettuce from the Yuma growing region is still available in stores or restaurants, due to its 21-day shelf life," said the FDA.
Eating the contaminated lettuce may cause diarrhea, vomiting and even kidney failure in severe cases.
"Most of the newly reported cases are people who became sick two to three weeks ago, still within the window when contaminated romaine was available for sale," said the CDC statement.
"Some people who became sick did not report eating romaine lettuce, but had close contact with someone else who got sick from eating romaine lettuce."
Nearly half of those who became ill had to be hospitalized. A total of 26 people have developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
LOS ANGELES - US health authorities on Wednesday reported the first death in an outbreak of E.coli bacteria in romaine lettuce that has sickened 121 people across the United States.
No details about the victim were immediately released except that the person was in California, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials in California said 24 people had fallen ill in the state, including the person who died.
"Due to patient privacy laws, we cannot provide further details," the Department of Public Health said in a statement.
Last month, US authorities took the unusual step of telling people to throw out any romaine lettuce they had, and not eat it unless they were sure it was not from the Yuma, Arizona area which grows most of the romaine lettuce sold in the country during winter.
Officials still have not identified the source of the outbreak. One Arizona farm has been linked to E. coli in whole head romaine, but at least two dozen locations are under investigation.
The outbreak is unusually severe due to the particular strain of Shiga-toxin producing E. coli O157:H7, which tends to lead to higher hospitalization rates.
"Fifty-two people out of 102 with available information (51 percent) have been hospitalized, including 14 who developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome," said the CDC report.
The outbreak is the largest in the United States since 2006, when spinach tainted with a similar strain of E. coli sickened more than 200 people.
source: news.abs-cbn.com
