One death reported following outbreak of E. coli in Canada
When it comes to advocating for healthy eating, one such food that is deemed particularly healthy for you is romaine lettuce, a main fixture of any salad but thanks to a Canadian outbreak of E. coli, one person is dead and many more have fallen ill after eating the contaminated vegetable.
Five provinces have reported E. coli contamination so far; Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Quebec and New Brunswick.
According to the Public Health Agency of Canada one person has died after eating contaminated romaine lettuce that was distributed to as many as five different Canadian provinces.
The agency has not released the exact whereabouts of the fatality, but their statement, released late this week does indicate that as many as 30 cases of E. coli have been reported so far.
This number is up from 21 cases that were reported first by the health agency on Tuesday.
According to the health agency, up to a dozen people have been hospitalized with E. coli contamination so far.
No recall announced yet
Currently the Public Health Agency is trying to track down the source of the romaine lettuce contamination. Until they do, they are unable to issue a recall for the produce in question.
At last count, six cases of E. coli have been reported in the province of Ontario, Quebec and New Brunswick have reported five each, one in Nova Scotia and 13 in Newfoundland and Labrador.
All of the reported E. coli victims range between the ages of four and 80.
Symptoms of E. coli infection can include upset stomach, vomiting, watery or bloody stool, headache, fatigue and fever and generally present within ten days of a person ingesting the contaminant.
In the majority of cases, people infected by eating food containing E. coli bacteria recover within a few days but in some cases, complecations can develop which can be life threatening.
More about E. coli
Speaking with Global News, Jason Tetro, a scientist visiting the University of Guelph in Ontario, says that it is not the actual lettuce that would be initially contamined, but the water that is used to irrigate it on farms.
“That can get onto the lettuce, and eventually end up in a person,” he says.
“We may never know what the actual source was, and instead, our only recourse may be to do a recall.”
Tetro gives some advice when it comes to thoroughly washing your lettuce: “If you are buying lettuce, romaine or otherwise, make sure each leaf is given a good washing under warm to hot water.”
“When you finish handling food make sure that there’s no cross-contamination with meats and other things, especially if it’s fresh produce. It’s not related to this case, but just to make sure you stay safe.”
