E. coli Outbreak Linked to Romaine Lettuce

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), public health and regulatory officials in several states including the Ohio Department of Health, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of E. coli O157:H7 infections linked to romaine lettuce harvested from the Salinas, CA, growing region.

Do not eat, serve, or sell any romaine lettuce grown in this growing region. Romaine from this area may be contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 and making people sick. Most romaine products are labeled with a harvest location showing where they were grown, but if you don’t know or can’t tell where the romaine lettuce was grown, don’t eat it or buy it.

This advice includes all types of romaine including whole heads; hearts of romaine; organic romaine; precut lettuce in packaged salad mixes; and romaine that may be in salad blends, bowl kits, wraps, and sandwiches, regardless of brand or use-by date.

If you get sick after eating romaine lettuce from the Salinas, CA, growing region or an unknown region, see your doctor and notify your local health department. Symptoms usually present three to four days after eating food contaminated. Symptoms include:

• Diarrhea that lasts more than three days
• Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 degrees F
• Bloody diarrhea or blood in your stool
• So much vomiting you can’t keep liquids down and pass little urine

More information and a FAQ can be found on the ODH website, and updates are available on the CDC website.