E. coli outbreak largest in 10 years – Romaine Lettuce E. coli Lawyer
Romaine lettuce production has stopped for the season in the Yuma, Arizona, growing area. The recent e. coli outbreak related to this romaine lettuce should also be over at this point, since the shelf life of the remaining lettuce in stores has now passed. However, the e. coli outbreak has affected a significant number of people in the US. It has, in fact, been declared the largest outbreak in the US in 10 years by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
The numbers are astounding. The outbreak has affected 172 people across 32 states. Those numbers may increase as additional reports of illnesses filter through physicians’ offices to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Of those who became ill after consuming the romaine lettuce, 45 percent have been hospitalized. One person has died. Twenty people have developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), one of the most serious complications that can occur with E. coliO157:H7 infection.
New reports of illness are expected because of the time it takes to receive that information. There is an incubation period between the time of exposure to the lettuce and the onset of a person’s illness. E. coli generally appears three to four days after the initial infection, though in some cases, symptoms don’t appear for over a week.
Confirming and reporting the illness as part of the outbreak then may take several more weeks, including the time it takes to seek health care and collect specimens from ill people, test those specimens, report the illnesses to public health officials, fingerprint the pathogen to make sure it is part of the outbreak, and interview the ill people to identify where and when they were exposed.
If you consumed romaine lettuce and have experienced symptoms of e. coli, please contact the food poisoning lawyers at 1-888-335-4901 to discuss your legal options.
