WASHINGTON — As state and federal health officials continue to investigate an E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, the number of people who've gotten sick has grown to 102, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in an update Wednesday that it continues to investigate farms in the Salinas, California growing region which has been identified as a likely source of the latest outbreak of E. coli and romaine lettuce.
Health officials told people in late November to avoid romaine lettuce grown in Salinas, because of the food poisoning outbreak. The notice came almost exactly one year after a similar outbreak led to a warning to avoid romaine completely.
As of Wednesday, officials said romaine lettuce harvested outside of the Salinas region has not been linked to the current outbreak.
In total, there have now been 102 E. coli cases reported in 23 states. The CDC said the latest date that one of these patients became ill was on Nov. 18. So far, all of the confirmed illnesses began prior to the public warning being issued on Nov. 22.
Wisconsin has reported the most cases by far with 31 illnesses linked to the outbreak, according to CDC data. While Ohio has reported 12 cases, most other states have only a few each.
The FDA said it still does not have enough info to identify the specific source of the contamination, which is why they haven't issued a targeted recall from specific growers or farms.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
