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CDC links E. coli outbreak to romaine lettuce

Tahlequah Daily Press - 11/21/2018

Nov. 21--The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Tuesday issued a widespread food safety alert, warning Americans after more than 30 cases of E. coli bacterial infection were linked to consumption of romaine lettuce.

The CDC says romaine lettuce should not be bought, sold by retailers or restaurants, or consumed. Any romaine lettuce already in the home should be thrown out, even if some has been eaten and nobody has gotten sick.

While the number of cases does not suggest a high risk of contamination, consumers should follow the safety guidelines

"The reason the CDC is telling everyone not to eat romaine lettuce is because they can't trace it to a specific source," said Tony Sellars, director of the office of communications for the Oklahoma State Department of Health. "It is best just to eliminate all sources until they can narrow it down."

There have been 32 reported cases of infection by a particularly dangerous strain of E. coli in 11 states. Sellars said none have occurred in Oklahoma. California has reported 10 cases; Michigan, seven; New Jersey, three; two each in Illinois, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and New York; with single cases reported in Connecticut, Maryland, Ohio and Wisconsin. All cases reported the onset of symptoms between Oct. 8-31. There have been another 18 cases reported in Ontario and Quebec by the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The E. coli strain has been identified as O157:H7, which produces the potent shiga toxin. There have been no deaths, but 13 have been hospitalized with one suffering from kidney failure.

"If you have any romaine lettuce, throw it away," Sellars said. "That means heads, hearts, leaves, bags or boxes of precut lettuce or mixes that contain any kind of romaine. If you aren't sure if a mix contains romaine, throw it out."

Staff at Reasor's in Tahlequah said on Tuesday afternoon that romaine lettuce and specific salad mixes were being removed from the shelves. Customers will be refunded their money. That is also true of wholesalers like Costco in Tulsa, which sells five-packs of romaine hearts. Employees recommended the lettuce be discarded, and said customer money will be refunded without receipts, as membership records keep track of purchases.

The CDC recommends sanitizing any shelves or drawers where romaine lettuce was stored.

E. coli symptoms can seem typical for food poisonings: severe stomach cramps, vomiting and diarrhea. Stools are frequently bloody.

Normally, all symptoms pass within a week, but some cases can be life-threatening. The CDC recommends contacting a doctor if diarrhea lasts for more than three days, or is accompanied by high fever, bloody stools, or vomiting so severe that even liquids cannot be kept down and little urine is passed.

The CDC also recommends writing down anything eaten in the week before symptoms arose, reporting the E. coli infection to the health department, and helping public health investigations by answering questions about the infection.

Those who suspect an E. coli infection should not try to treat it with leftover antibiotics from the medicine cabinet. The CDC says some studies suggest antibiotic treatment of E. coli O157 can result in a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.

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(c)2018 the Tahlequah Daily Press (Tahlequah, Okla.)

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