| Kentucky
was the 10th state to report cases of E. coli linked by Food and
Drug Administration (FDA) officials to bagged spinach. Officials
at the Kentucky Department for Public Health (DPH) are advising
consumers to abstain from the consumption of bagged fresh spinach
as a safety measure to avoid possible E. coli infection.
There have been no reports of infection in Owen County, and with
local businesses and grocery stores removing all spinach from
their stores, it is unlikely to happen. Tami Bishop, manager of
Saveway Supermarket, said they did not have any bagged spinach
on the shelves when the scare broke out, and the store has “no
intention of ordering any now.”
Rod Forsee said Meadow View Shopwise is taking similar precautions,
having pulled all fresh spinach off the shelves. Subway customers
will also have to do without the leafy vegetable until the district
office gives the all-clear, Sharon Bourne said. “It’s
just a precaution,” she said.
Of the 109 E. coli cases reported across 19 states this year,
there have been six spinach-related cases in Kentucky. One death
was reported in Wisconsin, and there have been 16 cases of kidney
failure known as Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, according to Gwenda
Bond of the Kentucky Cabinet for Health Services.
Closest to home were two cases involving women in their 50s from
Oldham County; and a school-age child from Jefferson County. The
bacteria was also seen in a teenage girl from Paducah who was
released from Vanderbilt University Medical Center Monday. Two
females in their 20s from Hopkins County and McCracken County
received outpatient medical care.
The primary symptom of an E. coli infection is diarrhea, sometimes
with bloody stools. While most adults can recover within a week,
there is some risk of kidney failure usually leading to death.
Justin Pittman of the regional health department advises those
experiencing symptoms to seek immediate medical attention.
If your primary care physician is unavailable, Pittman said a
trip to the emergency room would be in order. “Prompt treatment
is important,” he said.
According to Pittman, the FDA has said washing spinach is not
enough. Even thorough cooking may still leave you at risk as the
bacteria could have entered through the plant’s roots during
irrigation.
At present, officials advise consumers to throw away all spinach
in their households, avoid consumption of all fresh spinach and
products that contain fresh spinach and seek immediate medical
attention if any symptoms arise.
For updates on the E. coli outbreak in Kentucky, visit DPH Health
Alerts Web site at http://health alerts.ky.gov. DPH will report
all cases that meet the three criteria of the Center of Disease
Control’s case definition to be considered outbreak-related:
occurring after Aug. 1; lab confirmed E. coli O157:H7; and matching
genetic lab results.
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