CDC Says E. coli Outbreak Linked to Ground Beef Is Over
Last Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a Final Update regarding a four-state outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (STEC O157:H7). In total, 12 cases were reported; 58% of those people were hospitalized, but none of them died, nor did anyone develop hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).
As illnesses began being reported, epidemiologic and traceback investigations conducted by local, state, and federal officials indicated that contaminated ground beef produced by Wolverine Packing Company was the likely source of the outbreak, according to the CDC. On May 19, 2014, the company recalled approximately 1.8 million pounds of ground beef products that may have been contaminated with STEC O157:H7.