E. coli linked to beef now reported in 5 states
AP Photo/Nati Harnik
The Nebraska Beef plant is seen in Omaha, Neb., Wednesday, July 2, 2008. Nebraska Beef Ltd. is recalling nearly 532,000 pounds of ground beef produced in the past two months because the meat has been linked to an outbreak of E. coli illnesses. The federal government said that some of the Omaha-based company’s beef was sold by grocer Kroger Co., and investigators traced the meat to Nebraska Beef after 38 people in Ohio and Michigan became ill. Kroger already recalled beef it sold in those states.
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THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 16, 2008
ATLANTA (AP) - An E. coli outbreak traced to recalled beef in Michigan and Ohio has spawned cases in three other states, U.S. health officials said Tuesday.
New York, Kentucky and Indiana each have one lab-confirmed case of a bacterial infection that matches the 41 previously reported cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The outbreak has been traced to beef sold in Kroger supermarkets in Michigan and Ohio. The Kroger Co. last month recalled ground beef sold in Michigan and Ohio stores, then this month expanded it to include other states. Nebraska Beef Ltd. supplied the meat, ultimately recalling 5.3 million pounds of beef.
The Kentucky patient lives near Ohio, but the New York and Indiana patients did not travel to either of the states where the outbreak began, said Mark Sotir, a CDC investigator working on the outbreak.
All 44 illnesses in the outbreak are attributed to the same type of E. coli, one that causes a potentially deadly bacterial infection. The illnesses began between May 30 and June 24. CDC officials say 21 of the victims have been hospitalized and one developed kidney failure, but no one has died.
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On the Net:
The CDC’s E. coli site: http://cdc.gov/ecoli
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.
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