Comment Most of those who get sick from E. coli A recent outbreak in the Midwest ate at a Wendy’s restaurant the week before their symptoms began, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Friday. Although the CDC has not definitively pinpointed the fast food chain as the source of the infections, most of the sick people reported eating sandwiches there topped with romaine lettuce. The chain’s restaurants in the area have stopped using the lettuce in sandwiches as a precautionary measure, the Columbus-based company said in a statement. “While CDC has not yet confirmed a specific food as the source of this outbreak, we are taking the precaution of removing sandwich lettuce from restaurants in this area,” the statement said. “The lettuce we use in our salads is different and is not affected by this action. As a company, we are committed to high standards of food safety and quality.” At least 65 people have become ill across Ohio, Michigan, Indiana and Pennsylvania, including 10 who have been hospitalized, according to the CDC and Michigan authorities. No one is known to have died. CDC reports ‘fast-moving’ E. coli outbreak in Michigan and Ohio The CDC said Friday that it is not advising people to avoid eating at Wendy’s restaurants or stop eating lettuce. At this time, the agency said, there is no evidence that romaine lettuce sold in grocery stores, served in other restaurants or in people’s homes is linked to this outbreak. Several high-profile E. coli outbreaks have been linked to romaine lettuce. The Food Safety Modernization Act, signed into law in 2011, required farmers to test irrigation water, which can be contaminated with feces and bacteria. But the FDA has delayed its implementation. “MI. coli outbreaks associated with lettuce, especially the ‘pre-washed’ and ‘ready-to-eat’ varieties, are by no means a new phenomenon,” said Bill Marler, an attorney who specializes in foodborne illness cases. in fact, the frequency with which the fresh-eating public in this country has been affected by outbreaks of pathogenic bacteria is astonishing.” What you need to know about E. coli symptoms and how to prevent infection The outbreak adds to several other high-profile incidents of suspected contaminated food this year. The FDA and CDC have investigated a multistate outbreak of salmonella infections linked to some Jif brand peanut butter products produced at a facility in Lexington, Kentucky, prompting multiple recalls. Abbott Nutrition has recalled 5 million units of infant formula after at least four infants became ill, two of whom died. A listeria outbreak linked to Big Olaf Creamery in Sarasota, Florida, led to ice cream recalls in several states, and organic strawberries were the source of a hepatitis A outbreak this spring. The source of the recent E. coli cases has been slow to emerge as state and local public health officials have interviewed people about the foods they ate in the week before they got sick. The CDC is trying to determine the full scope of the outbreak, which agency officials said could extend beyond the four known states. Public health researchers are using the PulseNet system, a national database of DNA fingerprints of bacteria that cause foodborne illness, to identify illnesses that may be part of this outbreak. The CDC estimates that 48 million people get sick each year in the United States, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die from foodborne illness. Foodborne illness results in $3 billion in health care costs. Nearly half of the illnesses come from produce, according to the CDC. Next, in descending order, is meat and poultry. dairy and eggs; and fish and shellfish.
