E. coli cases traced to spinach
2006-09-15 08:24
Washington - An outbreak of E. coli in eight US states has killed one person and sickened at least 49 others, federal health officials said, while warning consumers nationwide not to eat bagged fresh spinach.
The death occurred in Wisconsin, where 20 people were made ill, state officials said.
The outbreak has sickened others - eight of them seriously - in Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah, federal health officials said on Thursday.
In California, state health officials were investigating a possible case that could be linked to the outbreak and warned consumers not to eat the produce.
Bagged spinach
FDA officials do not know the source of the outbreak other than it appears to be linked to bagged fresh spinach.
"We're advising people not to eat it," said Dr David Acheson of the food and drug administration's centre for food safety and applied nutrition.
The outbreak has affected a mix of ages, but most of the cases have involved women, Acheson told reporters in a conference call. He had no further information on the person who died.
The five confirmed patients in Oregon were females who ranged in age from eight to 62, said Dr Bill Keene, an epidemiologist with the Oregon department of human services.
No specific brand
The cases originated between August 25 and September 1, he said, and were linked to the spinach but not to a specific brand.
"People have either varying or no recollection of the brand they purchased," Keene said.
E. coli causes diarrhoea, often with bloody stools. Most healthy adults can recover completely within a week, although some people - including the very young and old - can develop a form of kidney failure that often leads to death.
- AP