More Sick From E. Coli Outbreak Tied to Wendy’s Restaurant Lettuce

By Ernie Mundell HealthDay Reporter
HealthDay Reporter

FRIDAY, Aug 26, 2022 (HealthDay News) – – A complete of 84 individuals throughout 4 states have now been made sick by E. coli, in an outbreak probably tied to contaminated lettuce utilized in sandwiches offered at Wendy’s eating places.

“Since the final replace on August 19, 2022, 47 extra sicknesses have been reported to CDC,” the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention stated in an up to date assertion launched Thursday. That contains 53 circumstances in Michigan, 23 circumstances in Ohio, 6 in Indiana and a pair of in Pennsylvania.

Illnesses from an infection with the gastrointestinal bacterium have usually been extreme.

“Thirty-eight individuals have been hospitalized, together with 8 individuals in Michigan who’ve a kind of kidney failure referred to as hemolytic uremic syndrome,” the CDC stated, though “no deaths have been reported.”

The actual supply of the outbreak has not been formally confirmed, however the CDC stated that in 84% of circumstances individuals reported consuming at Wendy’s earlier than they turned sick.

“Of 17 individuals with detailed details about what they ate at Wendy’s, 15 (88%) reported consuming romaine lettuce served on burgers and sandwiches,” the company famous.

On Aug. 19, Wendy’s introduced that it had eliminated romaine lettuce from its sandwiches in Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

“Wendy’s is taking the precautionary measure of eradicating the romaine lettuce being utilized in sandwiches from eating places in that area,” the CDC stated. “Investigators are working to verify whether or not romaine lettuce is the supply of this outbreak, and whether or not romaine lettuce utilized in Wendy’s sandwiches was served or offered at different companies.”

Romaine lettuce offered in grocery shops doesn’t look like affected, the CDC stated, and other people can nonetheless eat at Wendy’s and eat the romaine lettuce within the salads it sells. Wendy’s defined in an announcement that the lettuce utilized in its salads isn’t the identical as that utilized in its sandwiches.

“We are totally cooperating with public well being authorities on their ongoing investigation of the regional E. coli outbreak reported in sure midwestern states,” the corporate stated. “While the CDC has not but confirmed a particular meals because the supply of that outbreak, we’re taking the precaution of discarding and changing the sandwich lettuce at some eating places in that area.”

Most individuals with an E. coli an infection “begin feeling sick 3 to 4 days after consuming or ingesting one thing that incorporates the micro organism,” the CDC stated. “However, sicknesses can begin anyplace from 1 to 10 days after publicity.” Illnesses sometimes final from 5 to 7 days.

What to Do:

• Watch for signs of extreme E. coli, which embrace diarrhea lasting greater than three days or diarrhea accompanied by a fever greater than 102˚F, bloody diarrhea, vomiting and an absence of urination.
• If you endure from these signs, name your physician instantly.
• Keep observe of what and the place you ate within the week earlier than you bought sick and report it to your native or state well being division.

More data

For extra on the outbreak, head to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

SOURCES: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, information launch, Aug. 25, 2022; Wendy’s, assertion, Aug. 19, 2022