Reuters — The multistate outbreak of E. coli infections linked to romaine lettuce from the Central Coastal growing regions in northern and central California appears to be over, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Wednesday.
Sixty-two people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli were reported from 16 states and the District of Columbia, the CDC said in an update on its investigation into the outbreak.
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The multistate outbreak of E. coli infections related to romaine lettuce led to a nationwide public health warning for consumers and was first issued by U.S. health regulators in November.
Canada’s Public Health Agency said the E. coli outbreak in Canada appeared to be over as of Dec. 24, and noted there have not been any related illnesses reported since mid-November.
PHAC said Dec. 24 it was no longer advising residents in the affected provinces — Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick — to avoid eating romaine lettuce and salad mixes containing romaine lettuce.
CDC said it identified the outbreak strain of E. coli O157:H7 in sediment collected within an agricultural water reservoir on a farm in Santa Barbara County.
People infected with the bacteria get sick two to eight days after swallowing the germ, and may sometimes develop a type of kidney failure.
The regulator advised people not to eat, sell or serve any recalled red leaf lettuce, green leaf lettuce, and cauliflower harvested between Nov. 27 and 30, 2018 from Adam Bros. Farming, in Santa Barbara County.
No deaths in the U.S. were reported, though 25 people were hospitalized, including two people who developed a type of kidney failure, the CDC said.
Canada, as of Dec. 24, had reported 29 confirmed cases of E. coli-related illness in the related outbreak, including 20 in Quebec, five in Ontario and one in New Brunswick. plus three in British Columbia believed to be related to travel to Ontario, Quebec and the U.S.
Of those 29, 10 people were hospitalized; of the 10, two suffered from hemolytic-uremic syndrome. No deaths were reported. The cases occurred between mid-October and mid-November.
— Reporting for Reuters by Manogna Maddipatla in Bangalore. Includes files from Glacier FarmMedia Network staff.
