As of November 25th, a total of 67 people are confirmed to have been infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7, found in romaine lettuce. This number is up by 27 people since a previous update from November 22nd. The infected people are spread across at least 19 states.
The continued advice from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is that retailers not sell, and consumers not eat, the romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, California. There is an ongoing investigation being carried out with regard to the source of the contamination. The investigation is also looking at whether there might be additional products linked to illness.
No deaths have been reported, though 39 hospitalizations have occurred (of the 50 people with information available). The illnesses have begun on dates ranging from September 24th through November 14th, in people ranging from 3 to 89 years of age, and 67% of the infected being female.
The CDC and FDA say that romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, California, is likely the source of the outbreak. This is based on evidence from epidemiologic, laboratory and traceback research. No common grower, supplier, distributor, or brand of romaine lettuce has been identified. The outbreak has been caused by the O157:H7 E. coli strain, which is the same strain that was behind outbreaks in leafy greens in 2017 and romaine lettuce in 2018.
Source: foodsafetynews.com