On June 1, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced via a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) update that a total of five deaths have been attributed to the multistate E. coli O157:H7 outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, AZ, growing region. To date, 197 people have been reported sick in 35 states, and 89 people have been hospitalized. The source of the contaminated lettuce is still being investigated.
Previously, one death in California had been associated with the outbreak. The four additional deaths occurred in Arkansas, New York, and two in Minnesota.