Wendy’s is removing romaine lettuce from all its sandwiches in the tri-state area of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania because people in that area became sick after eating it, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced.
The CDC is currently investigating the cause of an E. coli outbreak in which 37 people have fallen ill in states and Indiana. Wendy’s is removing the lettuce as a precaution even though no food has been confirmed as the source of the outbreak, the CDC said.
Local and state health officials interviewed 26 of those people about their diet and 22 of them had eaten at Wendy’s before getting sick, the CDC reported.
“The CDC is looking into whether or not romaine lettuce was the source of this outbreak, and if it is in any way connected to Wendy’s restaurants,” they said.
As of now, the CDC does not advise people to avoid eating at Wendy’s or to avoid romaine lettuce. Wendy’s uses a different type of romaine lettuce for salads, according to the CDC.
Wendy’s released the following statement regarding the outbreak of E. coli in certain midwestern states:
“We remain cooperating with local and state health authorities. We are removing and replacing the sandwich lettuce at some restaurants in that region as a precaution, even though the CDC has not yet confirmed a specific food as the source of the outbreak. Some of our salad lettuce is different and is not affected by this action.
In the week of July 26 through July 31, 19 people in Ohio were sickened, 15 in Michigan, 2 in Pennsylvania, and 1 in Indiana. As a result, ten people were hospitalized in Michigan and three developed hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure.
A larger number of people are probably sick, according to the CDC. The outbreak may also affect other states because some people recover quickly and do not seek medical attention.
E. coli is a bacteria that’s normal to the intestines. Food or water that is contaminated usually causes people to become infected. In addition to abdominal pain, nausea, and constant fatigue, bloody diarrhea is also widespread.
The majority of people recover from E. coli infections within a few days, but some strains can be extremely harmful.
