(WXYZ) — As more illnesses have been reported in the Midwest E. Coli outbreak, the CDC says that 80% of the people interviewed in the investigation reported eating at a Wendy's restaurant the week before their illness started.
The CDC is reporting 8 more cases and added two more states to their outbreak totals. Those new states are Indiana and Pennsylvania.
The Wendy's where the sick people at are in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. However, the CDC is cautioning that a specific food has not yet been confirmed as the source of the outbreak, nor are they saying conclusively that the people got sick from eating at Wendy's. However, most of the sick people reported eating sandwiches with romaine lettuce before getting sick.
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Service has also issued an update on the investigation. They say 43 cases have been reported in Michigan, with cases found in 18 jurisdictions including the counties of Allegan, Branch, Clinton, Genesee, Gratiot, Jackson, Kent, Macomb, Midland, Monroe, Muskegon, Oakland, Ogemaw, Ottawa, Saginaw, Washtenaw, and Wayne and the City of Detroit. The state says of those sick, 55% of them reported eating at a Wendy's.
MDHHS is also reporting four cases of hemolytic uremic syndrome, a type of kidney failure. The CDC says they have 9 reports of the condition. However, they are only reporting 3 in the state of Michigan.
In the wake of the reports sick people have eaten at their restaurants, Wendy's is taking the precaution of removing the romaine lettuce that is being used in their sandwiches in the region. The restaurant chain uses a different type of lettuce for salads. 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.
