WASHINGTON -- According to new statistics from the Centers for Disease Control, Texas has been added to the list of states reporting illnesses linked to an E. coli outbreak from lettuce.
- Twenty-eight more ill people from 12 states were added to this investigation since the last update on May 2, 2018.
- Four more states have reported ill people: Florida, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Texas
- The most recent illness started on April 25, 2018. Illnesses that occurred in the last two to three weeks might not yet be reported because of the time between when a person becomes ill with E. coli and when the illness is reported to CDC.
In all, nearly 30 states have now reported illnesses. Illnesses started on dates ranging from March 13, 2018 to April 25, 2018.
While the death count associated with the outbreak remains at one, the CDC has linked 149 illnesses in 29 states to the outbreak, which has been traced back to lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona, area. Including Texas, Florida, Minnesota, and North Dakota are the newest states to report illnesses.
Of the 149 people who became ill, 102 of them reported eating romaine lettuce in the weeks leading up to their illness, according to the CDC report. The ages of those who were sickened ranges from 1 to 88, and 65 percent were female. The outbreak has caused 64 hospitalizations, and 17 of those who were hospitalized developed a type of kidney failure.
The states with the highest concentration of cases are California, Idaho, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. The CDC has not issued a formal recall, but it has urged consumers to avoid all types of romaine lettuce unless they can confirm that it did not come from Yuma.
CONTINUING COVERAGE:
First death reported in E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce
E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce grows to 84 cases