OT: But I live on raw spinach!

And I just finished and bought a new bag last night... :-(
___________________________________________________

E. coli cases traced to bagged spinach

By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer
10 minutes ago

WASHINGTON - An outbreak of E. coli in eight states has left at least one person dead and 50 others sick, federal health officials said Thursday in warning consumers nationwide not to eat bagged fresh spinach.

The death occurred in Wisconsin, where 20 others were also sickened, said Dr. David Acheson of the
Food and Drug Administration's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. The outbreak has sickened others — eight of them seriously — in Connecticut, Idaho, Indiana, Michigan, New Mexico, Oregon and Utah.

FDA officials do not know the source of the outbreak other than it appears to be linked to bagged spinach. "We're advising people not to eat it," Acheson said.

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 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Wisconsin health officials alerted the FDA about the outbreak Wednesday. Preliminary analysis suggests the same bug is responsible for the outbreak in all eight states.

The warning applied to consumers nationwide because of uncertainty over the origin of the tainted spinach and how widely it was distributed.

Health officials do not know of any link to a specific growing region, grower, brand or supplier, Acheson said.

He said reports of infections have been growing.

"It's increasing by the day," Acheson said. "We may be at the peak, we may not be."

E. coli causes diarrhea, 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.

Anyone who has gotten sick after eating raw packaged spinach should contact a doctor, officials said.

Other bagged vegetables, including prepackaged salads, apparently are not affected. In general, however, washing all bagged vegetables is recommended.

E. coli lives in the intestines of cattle and other animals and typically is linked to contamination by fecal material. It causes an estimated 73,000 cases of infection, including 61 deaths, each year in the United States, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Sources of the bacterium include uncooked produce, raw milk, unpasteurized juice, contaminated water and meat, especially undercooked or raw hamburger, the agency says on its Web site.

In December 2005, an E. coli outbreak sickened at least eight children in Washington state. Officials traced the outbreak to unpasteurized milk from a dairy that had been ordered to stop distributing raw milk.

Last October, the FDA warned people not to eat certain Dole prepackaged salads that were connected to an outbreak of E. coli infections in Minnesota. At least 11 people were sickened.

In 1993, a major E. coli outbreak sickened about 700 people and killed four who ate undercooked Jack in the Box hamburgers in Washington state. That outbreak led to tighter Agriculture Department safety standards for meat and poultry producers.

___

On the Net:
CDC E. coli information: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/escherichiacoli_g.htm
.

Relevant Pages

  • Outbreak of E. Coli Cases In 8 States; 1 Dead More Sick
    ... WASHINGTON - An outbreak of E. coli in eight states has left at least ... FDA officials do not know the source of the outbreak other than it ... Health officials do not know of any link to a specific growing region, ... E. coli causes diarrhea, often with bloody stools. ...
    (rec.sport.pro-wrestling)
  • Your Salad Can Kill You
    ... E. coli cases traced to bagged spinach By ANDREW BRIDGES, ... federal health officials said Thursday in ... The outbreak has sickened others - eight of them ... according to federal health officials. ...
    (misc.survivalism)
  • Safety advocates, growers debate produce rules
    ... SAN FRANCISCO - As illnesses mount from tainted California spinach, ... Growers and packers in the $1.7-billion-a-year spinach and lettuce ... E. coli outbreaks in the USA. ... food safety director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest, ...
    (sci.med.nutrition)
  • 94 people ill from E. coli in 20 states
    ... An E. coli outbreak that was first identified in Wisconsin and appears ... linked to bagged spinach had spread to 20 states by Friday, ... The day after health officials announced the outbreak, ...
    (alt.true-crime)
  • E.Coli Hamilton Canada
    ... You will recall that Hamilton Ontario has featured here ... had PMWS - Circovirus in their pigs. ... North Bay E. coli toll hits 15; ... E. coli outbreak hits 43 near Hamilton ...
    (uk.business.agriculture)