Number of Illnesses in 2018 Yuma Romaine Lettuce Outbreak is Higher Than Previously Reported
In June 2018, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) release a final update on the Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak that was tied to romaine lettuce from the Yuma, AZ, growing region. At that time, the agency officially reported a total of 210 confirmed illnesses in 36 states. There was also 5 deaths attributed to the outbreak, and 96 individuals had to be hospitalized. Twenty-seven of the victims developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure.
Fast-forward to present-day, new documentation suggests that the outbreak caused more illnesses than what is recorded in CDC’s final outbreak update.