Residents advised not to consume Romaine lettuce in light of E coli outbreak

Residents in the British Virgin Islands are being urged to refrain from consuming Romaine lettuce or any product containing the vegetables from Salinas county in California, United States.

This appeal comes from the Environmental Health Division who is acting on an alert from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

“A notice was received from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) who are currently investigating the multistate outbreak of Escherichia coli O157: H7 (e Coli O157: H7) bacteria that has been linked to the romaine lettuce,” a the Environmental Health Division said in a media release this week.

Local retailers and restaurant owners are also being advised to cease the sale of Romaine lettuce.

In the meantime, Chief Environmental Health Officer Lionel Michael has said measures are being taken to reduce the possibility of persons buying the product.

“Environmental Health Officers have already begun inspections of various supermarkets to ensure that the product has been removed from the shelves. If the Romaine lettuce is found, it will be condemned and discarded,” Michael stated.

Any person who has already consumed Romaine lettuce and is showing any sign or symptoms of illness with after-effects are advised to contact their healthcare provider.

All other queries can be channelled to the Environmental Health Division at 284-468-5110.

This is not the first time there have been reports of e Coli contamination on the same kind of lettuce coming out of the United States. Just last year, at least two major food distributors locally issued a recall of products containing romaine lettuce.

Editor’s Note:
E coli, which is short for Escherichia coli, is a type of bacteria that lives in the intestines of people and animals.

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