Outbreak of contaminated lettuce spreads over states: why farmers are powerless

Just in time for Thanksgiving, millions of people reported the recall of a number of products with romaine lettuce, which turned out to be infected with E. coli. Such products are extremely dangerous for consumption, and the only way out was to get rid of the salad. Apparently, not everyone did this, since the number of victims in different states is increasing.

Фото: Depositphotos

What's happening? A simple question for which there is no exact answer, but only theories and assumptions. In the US, they can’t find out why romaine continues to poison the Americans, writes Science Times.

On November 20, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that US romaine is unsafe to consume. A warning was posted just six days before Thanksgiving.

Then the outbreak of Escherichia coli, which infected the salad, spread to 16 states. Almost 40 people became infected with the E. Coli strain (its second name is 01: 57: H7). It is unsafe in that it can lead to kidney failure and, as you know, I die. In this regard, most of the injured people were in the hospital.

But six days later, the CDC reports that it’s already in 19 states fell ill almost 67 people.

A complete list of recall products can be found. here.

San Luis Obispo, California salad maker Dan Sutton said, “It's heartbreaking and sad. We will have to change and think about other ways to grow leafy greens. ”

In the US, there are only two suppliers of salads: one is located in Hume, Arizona, the other in the Salinas Valley in California.

What you need to know about this E. coli strain

People become infected with Escherichia coli producing Shiga toxin on average 2-8 days (usually 3-4 days) after ingestion of an infected product. Most develop diarrhea (often bloody), severe cramping of the gastrointestinal tract, and vomiting.

As a rule, recovery occurs within a week, but sometimes the disease can last longer and be more serious. Some people with E. coli infections may develop a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS).

On the subject: Ground beef caused an outbreak of salmonellosis in 6 states: one person died

Patients with suspected infection with Escherichia coli are not recommended antibiotics until an examination is performed. E. coli infection is usually diagnosed by testing a stool sample. Some studies have shown that the administration of antibiotics to patients with E. coli infections may increase the risk of developing HUS, and the benefits of this treatment have not been clearly traced.

One of the main causes of outbreaks of E. coli is contaminated agricultural water.

The Trump administration has delayed a new agricultural water quality test developed by the Obama administration. The new rules require farmers to quadruple test agricultural water during the growing season. Some farmers have argued that this is confusing and not necessary at all, as the industry always conducts tests every month.

Unfortunately, farmers have not yet solved the problem and are disappointed that they can not do anything to prevent infection by Escherichia coli.

Last massive outbreak of Escherichia coli due to romaine lettuce occurred last year. After it, farms stopped using water from rivers and lakes for watering plants.

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May be infected with E. coli: the company announced a large-scale recall of salads

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