CDC ISSUES FOOD SAFETY ALERT:
E-COLI LINKED TO ROMAINE LETTUCE
Nationwide alert for Romaine Lettuce

NEW CITY, NY - - Rockland County Executive Ed Day and County Health Commissioner Dr. Patricia Schnabel Ruppert alert residents that CDC, public health and regulatory officials in several states, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are investigating a multistate outbreak of Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O157:H7 (E. coli O157:H7) infections linked to romaine lettuce. The CDC is advising not to eat any romaine lettuce, and that retailers and restaurants should not serve or sell any, until we learn more about the outbreak. This investigation is ongoing.

Consumers anywhere in the United States who have any store-bought romaine lettuce at home should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick. This includes whole heads and hearts of romaine, chopped romaine, and salads and salad mixes containing romaine lettuce. If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine, do not eat it and throw it away.

Escherichia coli (abbreviated as E. coli) are bacteria found in the environment, foods, and intestines of people and animals. E. coli are a large and diverse group of bacteria. Although most strains of E. coli are harmless, others can make you sick. Some kinds of E. coli can cause diarrhea, while others cause urinary tract infections, respiratory illness and pneumonia, and other illnesses.

For more information about symptoms of E. coli and when to see a doctor visit https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/ecoli-symptoms.html

For more information about E. coli linked to the outbreak visit https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-11-18/index.html