BY NEWS DESK | APRIL 27, 2013
Five more victims in four states were added Friday by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta to the list of confirmed cases in the rare Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli O121 outbreak associated with Farm Rich brand products.
The additional victims—one each in California, Colorado, and Ohio and two in Florida—bring the total number of individuals infected with the outbreak strain of E coli O121 (STEC O121) to 32.
CDC says 35 percent of the victims have required hospitalization and two developed the kidney-damaging hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). No deaths have been reported among the mostly young (81 percent are age 21 or under) victims.
Among persons for whom information is available, illness onset dates range from December 30, 2012 to April 2, 2013. Ill persons range in age from one year to 75 years, with a median age of 17 years. Fifty-six percent of ill persons are female.
Illnesses that occurred after March 30, 2013 might not be reported yet due to the time it takes between when a person becomes ill and when the illness is reported.
Continue reading, "E. coli O121 Outbreak Associated With Farm Rich Expands" at Food Safety News.