Several reports indicate that 7 people who became ill with E. coli infections earlier this summer were infected after eating contaminated ground beef.
All seven patients, including an 8-year-old North Carolina girl who was hospitalized after her kidneys shut down, are recovering, Dr. Humayun J. Chaudhry, the Suffolk County health commissioner, said Tuesday.
Chaudhry stressed that no specific brand of ground beef has been identified; it was purchased at various locations around Long Island. He also said the majority of those who became ill between June 9 and July 3 were believed to have eaten the beef products at local barbecues and not at restaurants.
He said federal and local health officials are continuing to investigate, but early findings suggest the E. coli contamination is not specific to Suffolk.