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At least 53 people have been sickened by tainted, chopped romaine lettuce in an expanding E. coli outbreak that now spans 16 states, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said on Wednesday. The contaminated greens have been traced to Yuma, Ariz., but investigators recommended abundant caution because they have not yet identified a specific source. (Chokshi, 4/19)

The CDC said the exact source of the tainted lettuce hasn’t been identified, but that “information collected to date indicates that chopped romaine lettuce from the Yuma, Arizona, growing region could be contaminated ... and could make people sick.” “Consumers anywhere in the United States who have store-bought chopped romaine lettuce at home, including salads and salad mixes containing chopped romaine lettuce, should not eat it and should throw it away, even if some of it was eaten and no one has gotten sick,” the CDC said. “If you do not know if the lettuce is romaine, do not eat it and throw it away.” (McMillan and Phillips, 4/19)

For lovers of leafy greens, these are not salad days. A multistate outbreak of E. coli infections has been linked to bags of chopped romaine lettuce, and information from different sources about the risk has been confusing, making many of us scared to eat salad. This week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported the outbreak has grown to 53 cases in 16 states — that’s 18 more sick people since April 13. Fortunately nobody has died, but nearly 70 percent of those infected have been hospitalized with a nasty toxin-producing strain of E. coli, and several have developed kidney failure. (4/19)