COLUMBUS – Federal health officials reported late last week that there were at least 98 cases of food poisoning in 22 states, including Ohio, linked to E. coli bacteria in romaine lettuce, but reportedly the lettuce available in the Columbus area should be safe.
Health officials on Friday said they had received reports of new cases in Mississippi, Tennessee and Wisconsin.
The outbreak is blamed on E. coli bacteria in romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Ariz., but most of the lettuce now on sale in stores and restaurants in central Ohio comes from California, according to a report in The Columbus Dispatch.
There have been three cases in Ohio, all in the Youngstown area, the newspaper reported.
Every winter, the Yuma region provides most of the romaine sold in the U.S. Health officials say people shouldn’t eat romaine lettuce unless they know it’s not from Yuma.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the bacteria strain behind the outbreak tends to cause more serious illnesses. Forty-six people have been hospitalized, including 10 with kidney failure. The most recent illness began a week ago. No deaths are reported.