Four more people have died after eating romaine lettuce that was infected with E. coli, raising the total death toll from the food poisoning to five.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Friday that two deaths occurred in Minnesota and the other two in Arkansas and New York. The previously reported death was in California.
The latest data comes from May 16, which shows that 25 more people were sickened by the bacteria after eating the lettuce, bringing the total since the beginning of the outbreak to 197 illnesses. Some people who became sick said they did not eat romaine lettuce but had close contact with someone else who had gotten sick from eating it.
Arkansas, North Carolina, and Arizona were the latest additions among the 35 states that have reported infections.
The strain of E. coli that has circulated begins to sicken people roughly five days after they eat infected lettuce, and they remain ill for about a week with vomiting, bloody diarrhea and stomach cramps. The E. coli strain can cause other severe symptoms, such as a type of kidney failure. The CDC did not reveal whether the deaths were associated with the more severe symptoms.
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Health officials are not certain how the lettuce became contaminated and spread to most states. One of the outbreaks began at a correctional facility in Alaska, caused by lettuce that came from the Yuma, Ariz., region.
That batch, however, has not been found to be associated with other outbreaks. The recorded deaths and illnesses were from several weeks ago, and officials say it’s now safe to eat romaine lettuce. The lettuce from the Yuma region is now past its shelf life and is not being sold in restaurants or stores.
