Romaine lettuce illness count increases to 52
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) continue to investigate the latest romaine lettuce e. coli outbreak. Illnesses related to the E. coli O157:H7 contamination have increased to 52, with 19 people hospitalized, including 2 people who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure.
California has been identified as the source of the romaine lettuce that caused the illnesses and is one of the states, along with New Jersey, hardest hit by the contamination. The 15 states impacted by the e. coli outbreak include: California (11), Connecticut (1), Florida (1), Illinois (2), Louisiana (1), Massachusetts (1), Maryland (1), Michigan (7), New Hampshire (6), New Jersey (11), New York (6), Ohio (1), Pennsylvania (1), Rhode Island (1), and Wisconsin (1).
The exact source of the e. coli has not been identified, although the FDA has determined that the Central Coast growing regions of northern and central California is the likely source of the current outbreak. The FDA has also indicated that information they’ve gathered from four restaurants in three different states has implicated 10 different distributors, 12 different growers, and 11 different farms as potential sources of the contaminated lettuce.
Romaine lettuce that is not from the California growing regions is safe to eat. However, the CDC has advised that consumers not eat any romaine lettuce harvested from the Central Coastal growing regions of northern and central California.
If you have purchased and consumed romaine lettuce originating from California that was contaminated with e. coli, please contact the food poisoning lawyers at 1-888-335-4901 to learn more about your legal options.
