From the Trussville Tribune staff reports
According to an update by the CDC (Center for Disease Control), 31 more people have been added to the E. coli outbreak since the last update on Apr. 18, with incidents in Mississippi, Tennessee and Wisconsin reported last week.
As of April 25, 2018, 84 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported from 19 states. A list of the states and the number of cases in each can be found on the Case Count Map page.
Illnesses began on dates ranging from March 13 to April 12, 2018. Ill people range in age from 1 to 88 years, with a median age of 31 and 65% of ill people are female.
Forty-two ill people have been hospitalized, including nine people who developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. No deaths have been reported.
Illnesses that occurred after April 5, 2018, might not yet be reported due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill with E. coli and when the illness is reported. This takes an average of two to three weeks.
Investigation Update:
State and local health officials continue to interview ill people to ask about the foods they ate and other exposures before they became ill. Sixty-four (96%) of 67 people interviewed reported eating romaine lettuce in the week before their illness started.
This percentage is significantly higher than results from a survey[787 KB] of healthy people in which 46% reported eating romaine lettuce in the week before they were interviewed.
Information collected to date indicates that romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region could be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 and could make people sick.
Read the CDC’s advice to consumers, restaurants, and retailers here.
This investigation is ongoing, and CDC will provide more information as it becomes available.