E.Coli

If you haven’t heard by now, there has been an outbreak of E.coli. Just so you know, e-coli lives in the gut and not all e-coli is dangerous. Escherichia coli 0157:H7 or the Shiga Toxin is the dangerous one that the outbreak is about. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Romaine lettuce grown in the Central Coastal growing regions of northern and central California may be contaminated with E.Coli.This recall came about on November 26 of this year (2018). Be aware that people usually get sick 2-8 days after swallowing the e.coli germ. If you are experiencing symptoms of nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, diarrhea, especially bloody diarrhea, be sure to check with a healthcare professional so that your stool can be tested to ensure that you are not experiencing E.coli. E.coli can cause something called Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) which may make you go into kidney failure and end up needing dialysis to clean your blood on a machine. E.coli can even cause death. Luckily, as of December 6, 2018), there hasn’t been any deaths associated with this current outbreak; however, 52 people have been infected with the Shiga strain in question. Nineteen people have been hospitalized including 2 people who have experienced the Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome mentioned previously so please be cautious with your food choices. 

E.coli

#E.coli

#EscherichiaColi

#ShigaToxin

Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2018/o157h7-11-18/index.html