Over the past seven weeks, 59 people in the U.S. and Canada have become ill from a dangerous strain of E. coli bacteria, likely from eating romaine lettuce. In the U.S., the infections have occurred in 13 states (California, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Vermont, and Washington state). Five people in the U.S. have been hospitalized and one has died, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). There has also been one death in Canada.
Canadian health authorities identified romaine lettuce as the source of the outbreak in Canada, and are advising people in the country’s eastern provinces to consider eating other types of salad greens until further notice. Some Canadian stores have pulled romaine off of their store shelves.
Today, the Centers for Disease Control confirmed for the first time to Consumer Reports that the strain of E. coli detected in the U.S. is "a virtual genetic match" with the one that has caused illnesses in Canada.
Matthew Wise, M.P.H., Ph.D., head of the CDC's Outbreak Response Team, says that in spite of this finding, investigators are still not sure that romaine lettuce is the cause of the E. coli outbreak in the U.S. "We are looking at romaine and other leafy greens," says Wise. "[The Canadians] gave us a good starting point." He says they hope to conclude their investigation within the next two weeks.
In spite of Canada's advisory to "consider consuming other types of lettuce, instead of romaine," U.S. government health officials have stopped short of recommending people avoid romaine lettuce or any other food.
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