Wisconsin Romaine E. coli Sickens 33 as of Mid- December: That Number is Expected to Grow
The Wisconsin E. coli illnesses now account for nearly one in four of the nation-wide victims in the massive Romaine lettuce E. coli outbreak hitting the nation, just another in a recent string of E. coli outbreaks linked to this familiar leafy green. The outbreak has hospitalized six dozen people, with reports of at least a dozen developing hemolytic uremic syndrome, a potentially deadly side-effect of Shiga toxin-producing bacteria like the E. coli o157:H7 at the center of this outbreak.
According to Romaine Lettuce E. coli Lawyer Ron Simon:
“the fact that lettuce is being linked to outbreaks of food poisoning, including this and other recent E. coli outbreaks, is understandable. Like the large number of outbreaks linked to sprouts, leafy greens are grown near the ground where fecal material is most common. They get contaminated and then packaged and sold. The problem with leafy greens, like sprouts, is they are served raw and very hard to clean.”
Health officials in Wisconsin are at the fore of this outbreak, and have assisted in trace-back efforts that linked the outbreak to Romaine lettuce that originated in Salinas, California (ironically, whole there are at least 33 Wisconsin E. coli victims so far, there are only 4 confirmed cases (as of early December) in California. It remains uncertain if this is because Wisconsin was the foremost recipient of the Salinas Romaine Lettuce, or if the medical community was just first to begin to actively target and test potential victims.
Other states in the greater great lake region that figure prominently include Pennsylvania, with 17 confirmed Romaine lettuce E. coli illnesses; New Jersey, with 9 confirmed Romaine lettuce E. coli illnesses; Ohio, with 12 confirmed Romaine lettuce E. coli illnesses; Illinois, with 10 confirmed Romaine lettuce E. coli illnesses; and Minnesota, with 5 confirmed Romaine lettuce E. coli illnesses.
The CDC, as well as Wisconsin health officials, are warning people to wash all leafy greens thoroughly, and to avoid eating any Romaine lettuce produced in Salinas, California.
