Washtenaw County E. coli outbreak caused by contaminated Romaine lettuce, officials say
Shredded Romaine lettuce was determined to be the source of an E. coli outbreak that sickened people in three states, including nine cases alone in Washtenaw County, public health officials announced today.
Washtenaw County Public Health Department officials said in a release that at least one local establishment received lettuce from the contaminated shipment. But the release did not specify the restaurant, and officials could not be reached this evening for comment.
The lettuce was distributed to to institutions and restaurants in at least three states, including Michigan, Ohio and New York.
The local cases first came to light in April, and officials said all are tied to toxin-producing E. coli non-0157 strain.
Restaurants and institutions that may have received shipments of the product are being notified, officials said. While the recalled lettuce shouldn't be consumed, health officials are not recommending consumers avoid Romaine lettuce or any other type of lettuce at this time, the release said.
Details on the brand of lettuce were not released. But the release said the specific type of lettuce wasn't packaged for individual retail sale to consumers - although some retail stores may have used the recalled products to supply their in-store salad or deli bars.
The Food and Drug Administration is working with the company and its suppliers to track distribution of potentially contaminated products in Michigan and other states, the release said.Â
In Michigan, 10 cases of E. coli illness were confirmed, nine of which were in Washtenaw County. An additional three remain under investigation, the health department said. More than 20 people reported symptoms consistent with E. coli, but some tested negative or couldn't be tested, the release said. All of the confirmed illnesses occurred between April 9 and April 16.
Symptoms of E. coli infection include abdominal cramping followed by diarrhea that progressively worsens and is often bloody. Anyone with similar symptoms should call or see their health care provider.
Comments
JB
Fri, May 7, 2010 : 2 p.m.
A local health department source is actually quoted in the link that's posted above. There have been multiple press releases and Facebook updates about this from the Washtenaw County Health Dept.
pegret
Fri, May 7, 2010 : 10:47 a.m.
Thanks for the additional info, SonnyDog. The linked article was much more informative than anything I've read locally. Why all the secrecy here?
SonnyDog09
Fri, May 7, 2010 : 6:24 a.m.
More info from another paper with better sources (the CDC is in Atlanta): http://www.ajc.com/business/e-coli-forces-lettuce-521659.html "Freshway Foods of Sidney, Ohio, said it was recalling romaine lettuce sold under the Freshway and Imperial Sysco brands because of a possible link to the E. coli outbreak." The lettuce may have been used by local restaurants and "grab and go" salads at Kroger, Giant Eagle, Ingles Markets and Marsh grocery stores. The lettuce was sold in 23 states.
actionjackson
Thu, May 6, 2010 : 8:52 p.m.
According to the law student's post the restaurant involved may have started with a P?