In new romaine-linked Escherichia coli O157:H7 outbreak developments, federal health officials yesterday reported nine more illnesses and said trace-back investigations are focusing on 12 growers.
Flu activity in the Northern Hemisphere is starting to rise, though levels are still low, as flu returned to inter-seasonal levels in temperate parts of the Southern Hemisphere, the World Health Organization (WHO) said in its latest global flu update.
The CDC notes 11 more illnesses, raising the outbreak total to 43 cases in 12 states.
Romaine lettuce suspected in Escherichia coli O157:H7 illnesses in the United States and Canada probably came from California, based on growing and harvesting patterns, Scott Gottlieb, MD, US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner, said in a Nov 23 Twitter post.
The next step is to withdraw the product that's at risk from the market, then restock the market, he said.
So far 32 illnesses have been confirmed in 11 states, as well as 18 cases in Canada.
Investigators were't able to determine exactly how the water contaminated the lettuce, which may have occurred by irrigation or the dilution of chemical to protect crops.
Cargill Meat Solutions of Fort Morgan, Colo., has recalled more than 130,000 pounds of ground beef products after they were tied to an 18-case, four-state outbreak of Escherichia coli infections that has left one person dead, federal officials said yesterday.
For the fourth year in a row, uptake of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine has fallen in the United Kingdom, and now stands at 91.2%, well below the 95% uptake recommended to prevent transmission of the communicable diseases.
Of 18 cases, 15 are in Florida; the meat producer has not been named.
The resistant E coli sublineage ST131-H22 has become established in poultry.
