CDC Reports E. coli Outbreak Linked to Romaine Lettuce Expands to 16 States

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Friday that new information regarding an E. coli outbreak indicates the disease has spread to vegetables in at least 16 different states.

According to The Washington Post, the CDC has found 60 people become ill after consuming the disease, including eight at an Alaskan prison. Authorities have advised all Americans to avoid any types of store-bought romaine lettuce, whether it been in salads, salad mixes or by itself unless the person knows the specific source where the plant was grown and harvested.

The exact source has not been identified, but the outbreak's origination is believed to be in the Yuma, Arizona area just north of the border with Mexico.

At least 31 of the people who have become sick due to the outbreak have been hospitalized. Of that group, five have developed a form of potentially life-threatening kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.

The symptoms of eating E. coli infected vegetables include stomach cramps, (bloody) diarrhea and vomiting.

The breakout was traced back to Arizona after eight inmates at Anvil Mountain Correctional Center in Nome, Alaska recently became ill. The heads of romaine lettuce each ate where all traced back to the Yuma region.

"Do not buy or eat romaine lettuce at a grocery store or restaurant unless you can confirm it is not from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region," the CDC instructed in its latest report on the outbreak on Friday. "Unless the source of the product is known, 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. Product labels often do not identify growing regions; so, throw out any romaine lettuce if you're uncertain about where it was grown. 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."

The 16 states that have recorded cases of the outbreak include Washington, Idaho, Montana, California, Arizona, Alaska, Louisiana, Illinois, Missouri, Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Virginia. Pennsylvania has been hit the hardest thus far with 12 reported cases, while Idaho is close behind with 10.

On Tuesday 66-year-old New Jersey woman Louise Fraser sued Panera Bread for allegedly eating contaminated lettuce at one of their restaurants, forcing her to be hospitalized for two weeks.

"I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy," Fraser told NJ.com on Tuesday.