97 People in Six States Reported Being Sick With E. Coli After Eating Lettuce From Wendy’s

Consumers are urged to be cautious of eating at Wendy’s after 97 people in six states got sick from eating romaine lettuce infected with a strain of E. Coli.

So far, 43 out of the 97 people have been hospitalized.

Reports caution customers not to eat burgers or salads until the source of the infection is identified.

“E. coli can be especially harmful to young children, infants, older persons, and those with a compromised immune system,” said James Rogers, CR’s food safety and testing director. “The goal is to minimize your risk of getting it, and until we know more about its source, it’s safest to avoid consuming Wendy’s sandwiches served with lettuce and any Wendy’s salad containing romaine lettuce.”

According to reports, the cause of the outbreak is unknown.

The CDC reported that many individuals who got sick from E.coli said they were eating burgers or sandwiches with romaine lettuce from a Wendy’s restaurant.

“Romaine lettuce served on burgers and sandwiches at Wendy’s was one of the most common ingredients eaten among the menu items, but investigators continue to analyze data at the ingredient level to determine if there are any other possible foods that could be the source of the outbreak,” the agency said.

In a statement on Thursday, The CDC claimed there was no need for customers to stop eating Wendys.

“At this time, there is no evidence to indicate that romaine lettuce sold in grocery stores, served in other restaurants or in people’s homes is linked to this outbreak.”

As of Thursday, the infection has more than doubled, with 58 infected in Michigan, 24 in Ohio, two in Pennsylvania, 11 in Indiana, and one in New York. Fifty-four of those individuals reported getting sick one week after eating Wendy’s.

The agency said that 10 of the 97 sick individuals developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS), a potentially deadly type of kidney disease that often requires dialysis.

A Wendy’s representative said they’re working with officials to investigate the outbreak. The company has also thrown out all the lettuce at select Wendy’s locations where people got sick.

“The lettuce that we use in our salads is different and is not affected by this action,” Wendy’s said.