CDC asks Americans to do not eat romaine lettuce

Both Canadians and Americans must abstain from eating romaine lettuce because of a new outbreak of E. coli bacteria that has left dozens of patients on both sides of the border.

In Canada, 18 cases of infections related to this outbreak are being investigated, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) reported on Tuesday. Of the total, 15 cases were detected in Quebec, while the other three affected Ontarians.

"People became ill between mid-October and the beginning of November 2018. Six people were hospitalized and one person suffered from the hemolytic uremic syndrome, which is manifested by serious complications that may result from an infection. E. coli, "said PHAC.

South of the border, 32 cases that were reported between October 8 and 31 in 11 states. Thirteen patients had to be hospitalized, the Centers for Disease Prevention and Control reported. No deaths have been reported, both in Canada and the United States, health authorities said.

As a result of this outbreak, public health officials have asked consumers to avoid consuming Roman salad. Distributors must also stop selling, while restaurant owners must stop using them.

In the US, called on to refuse romaine lettuce due to an outbreak of intestinal infection

Patients infected in the United States and Canada were affected by the same strain of E. coli, O157: H7. According to the CDC, outbreaks of infection caused by the bacterium Escherichia coli strain O157: H7, have been identified in eleven states of the United States and two provinces of Canada. According to reports, 13 patients in the United States needed hospitalization, deaths have not yet occurred.

In connection with the outbreak of the disease, which experts, previously, associated with Roman salad, consumers are asked not to eat it, and also to disinfect the dishes and shelves of refrigerators, where the potentially dangerous product was stored. In the case of poor health, Americans are asked to remember what they ate during the last week, and immediately consult a doctor.

"It shows us that the same strain of E. coli is the source of disease in Canada and the United States, as we saw in 2017, and suggests that there may be a recurring source of contamination, "said PHAC.

By the end of 2017, dozens of people, including 42 in Canada, had contracted the same strain of E. coli after eating romaine lettuce on both sides of the border. The source of contaminated salads, however, has never been identified.

CDC Says E. Coli Outbreak Is From Romaine Lettuce

The representative of the CDC also said that if during the first outbreak, the source of E. coli was quickly located - a company in Arizona, now it was not possible to find the source, which makes all products dangerous.

In connection with the outbreak of the disease, which experts associate with the salad, consumers are asked not to eat it, and also to disinfect the dishes and shelves of refrigerators, where the potentially dangerous product was stored.

However, the source of this new outbreak of the disease does not appear to be the same one that had eight patients in Canada and 210 in the United States last spring. This major outbreak resulted in five deaths in the United States.