The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is investigating whether romaine lettuce is the source of an E. coli outbreak.
In the past two weeks, 35 people in the U.S. have become ill and one person in the U.S. has died in the multi-state outbreak, according to Consumer Reports. The CDC says 22 have been hospitalized, no deaths have been reported.
The CDC reported that the infection has been found in 11 states. Those states are Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington. Only one person in Washington has been infected.
The outbreak started on March 22.
Advice to consumers, according to the CDC:
- Consumers anywhere in the United States who have store-bought chopped romaine lettuce at home, including salads and salad mixes containing chopped romaine lettuce, should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick. If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine, do not eat it and throw it away.
- Before purchasing romaine lettuce at a grocery store or eating it at a restaurant, consumers should confirm with the store or restaurant that it is not chopped romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona growing region. If you cannot confirm the source of the romaine lettuce, do not buy it or eat it.
