The E. coli outbreak that prompted a recall of 1.8 million pounds of ground beef last month is over after sickening a dozen people in four states, health officials said Friday.
That’s just one case more than was originally detected when Wolverine Packing Company of Detroit recalled the steak burgers and other ground meat on May 19. There was concern that the meat was contaminated with Shiga toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7, which can cause serious illness, including a life-threatening kidney problem known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS.
Seven of the 12 people sickened in Minnesota, Ohio, Massachusetts and Missouri were hospitalized; none died, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported.
The recalled beef was sent to distributors for retail and restaurant use nationwide.
IN-DEPTH
- E. Coli Cases Prompt Massive Ground Beef Recall
- E. Coli Beef Recall Sparked by Rare Bug, CDC Says
- Big Ground Beef Recall Expands Nationwide