Another Michigander sickened by romaine lettuce E. Coli outbreak

Folks: Stop eating romaine lettuce for a minute. 

The Centers For Disease Control and Prevention says that a second Michigander was sickened by romaine lettuce contaminated by the E. Coli bacteria.

On April 18, the department reported an outbreak had caused 53 people across 16 states to become ill. This outbreak is different from one that sickened 66 people and killed one person across North America in late 2017 and early 2018.

The CDC has yet to identify the outbreak's source, but it suspects that it's related to chopped romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona region.

"No common grower, supplier, distributor, or brand has been identified," the department reports. "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 agency is also asking retailers and restaurants not to sell or serve romaine lettuce, and most of those who were sickened reported eating chopped lettuce at restaurants.

The source of E. Coli is typically animal poop from an infected animal. While E. Coli can survive a good scrubbing, the idea that animal poop makes it onto your lettuce should be enough to prompt you to keep your leafy greens under the faucet for at least a few extra seconds.
Severe cases can lead to kidney failure and symptoms include stomach cramps, fevers, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting.

Food Safety News reports there have been nearly 80 E. Coli outbreaks linked to leafy greens since 1995.

States that have reported people infected with the E. Coli strain now include Connecticut, Arizona, Alaska, Washington, Idaho, Missouri, Illinois, Ohio, Montana, Pennsylvania, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Michigan, California, and Louisiana.

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