53 Sickened, 31 Hospitalized from E. Coli Outbreak Across United States -- It’s a Warning

An outbreak of E. coli has spread to 16 states across the United States, resulting in 31 hospitalizations, according to reports.

“This is a higher hospitalization rate than usual for E. coli O157:H7 infections, which is normally around 30 percent,” said the agency. Thirty-one “people out of 48 [cases] with available information (65 percent) have been hospitalized, including five who developed a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome,” the CDC reported.

The CDC had previously reported cases in Idaho, Washington state, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Missouri, Virginia, and Illinois.

Officials say that the outbreak likely stems from chopped romaine lettuce grown in Arizona.

“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,” the CDC recommends.

It adds: “Before purchasing romaine lettuce at a grocery store or eating it at a restaurant, 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.”

Restaurants and retailers, meanwhile, should not serve chopped romaine lettuce or salad mixes containing the vegetable grown in Yuma, Arizona. They should also ask their suppliers about the source of the lettuce.

The CDC said that an investigation into the matter is ongoing.

The agency said that E. coli illness can be very serious---possibly deadly.

Usually, the illness sets in “an average of three to four days after swallowing the germ. Most people get diarrhea (often bloody), severe stomach cramps and vomiting,” said the CDC.

For many people, recovery will occur in about a week, but more severe cases can last longer. “Talk to your doctor if you have symptoms of an E. coli infection and report your illness to your local health department,” the agency said.