Nidhi Sharma - AHN News Writer
Atlanta, GA (AHN) - The E. coli outbreak that prompted Nebraska Beef Ltd.'s recall of 5.3 million pounds of beef in Michigan and Ohio has now spread to three other states.
At least one new case of possible E. coli has been reported in New York, Kentucky and Indiana according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). So far, 41 illnesses in Michigan and Ohio have been linked to Nebraska Beef's products.
All the people who became ill ate food from the same local barbecue restaurant, which recently began buying Nebraska Beef's meat, the Southwest Georgia Public Health District has determined.
The illnesses that began between May 30 and June 24 has left 21 victims hospitalized. One developed kidney failure called hemolytic-uremic syndrome. However, there have been no fatalities.
Meanwhile the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) said Monday that Nebraska Beef Ltd. responded slowly to indications that its products might be tainted with E. coli. The company was notified in the first half of June that two samples of its trim to be used in ground beef had tested positive for E. coli.
CDC estimates that E. coli sickens about 73,000 people and kills 61 each year in the United States. Most of those who die have weak immune systems, such as the elderly or very young.
Cooking ground beef to an internal temperature of at least 160 degrees should kill E. coli bacteria if it is present. The USDA recommends that consumers use a meat thermometer while cooking to verify they have cooked meat thoroughly.
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