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NEW YORK – In the United States and Canada, health officials have asked the public to stop eating romaine lettuce because of a new outbreak of E. Coli.
The US Food and Drug Administration announced that it was working with Canadian officials on the outbreak, which has sickened 32 people in 11 states and 18 people in the Canadian provinces of Ontario. and Quebec.
The identified strain is different from the Roman strain earlier this year, but appears similar to last year's outbreak of green leafy vegetables.
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said the agency did not have enough information to request a recall from suppliers, but he suggested that supermarkets and restaurants remove the Roman until the source contamination can be identified.
Contaminated lettuce is probably still on the market, Gottlieb told The Associated Press during a phone interview Tuesday.
He added that the FDA wanted to issue a warning before the meeting for Thanksgiving meals, where the potential for exposure could increase.
"We felt some pressure to draw conclusions as quickly as possible," he said.
The majority of the romaine sold at this time of year is grown in California, said Gottlieb. Romaine lettuce linked to the epidemic of E. Coli earlier this year came from Yuma, Arizona. This epidemic, which sickened about 200 people and killed five, was attributed to contaminated irrigation water.
No deaths have been reported in the current outbreak, but 13 people in the United States and six in Canada have been hospitalized. The last reported disease in the United States occurred on October 31st. The most recent illness in Canada occurred earlier this month.
Identifying the source of contaminated lettuce can be difficult because it is often repackaged by intermediaries, said Sarah Sorscher, Assistant Director of Regulatory Affairs at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. This can mean that the entire sector is involved in outbreaks, even if not all products are contaminated.
"One of the problems with the products is that it can be very difficult to trace," she said.
She said washing contaminated lettuce would not kill harmful germs.
E. coli infections can cause symptoms such as severe stomach cramps, diarrhea and vomiting. Most people recover within a week, but some illnesses can last longer and be more severe.
Health officials also reminded people to handle and cook their Thanksgiving birds appropriately in a generalized salmonella epidemic linked to raw turkey. Last week, Hormel recalled a few parcels of ground turkey Jennie-O that regulators may have associated with an illness.
But unlike Roman lettuce, regulators do not advise people to avoid turkey. Salmonella is not banned in raw meat and poultry, and the United States Department of Agriculture, which exports raw meat abroad, said cooking should kill all salmonella.
According to a map published by the CDC, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois and California have been infected.
California and Michigan had the highest number of people affected, at 10 and 7, respectively.
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Here is the information provided by the CDC on Tuesday:
Tips for consumers, restaurants and retailers:
CDC advises American consumers not to eat romaine lettuce and retailers and restaurants not to use or sell it, until we know more about the epidemic. This survey is ongoing and tips will be updated as more information becomes available.
• This advice applies to all types or uses of romaine lettuce, such as whole heads of romaine, romaine hearts, bags and boxes of precut lettuce and mixed salads containing romaine, including romaine lettuce, spring mix and Caesar salad.
• If you do not know if lettuce is Roman or if a salad mix contains romaine, do not eat it or throw it away.
• Wash and disinfect the drawers or shelves of refrigerators where the Roman was stored. Follow these five steps to clean your refrigerator.
• Restaurants and retailers must not serve or sell Roman lettuce, including salads and Roman-based salad mixes.
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