The most recent CDC report on the Nestle Toll House raw cookie dough E. coli outbreak updates to 72 the total number of persons infected with a DNA-fingerprint specific strain of E. coli O157:H7, from 30 states.
“Of these, 51 have been confirmed by an advanced DNA test as having the outbreak strain….Thirty-four persons have been hospitalized, 10 developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS); none have died.”
These numbers will most likely continue to rise alongside increased awareness, testing, and public health reporting. Of course, it’s one thing to look at a set of numbers, and quite another to watch the suffering of a loved one who has contracted an E. coli infection, or even worse, developed hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). We must keep fighting for the safety of our food supply and the prevention of future foodborne illness outbreaks.
Richard J. Arsenault, 2010
