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Source: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...eak-rcna200236
A deadly E. coli outbreak hit 15 states, but the FDA chose not to publicize it
The outbreak linked to romaine lettuce killed one person and sickened at least 88 more, including a 9-year-old boy who nearly died of kidney failure.
April 17, 2025, 5:00 AM EDT / Updated April 17, 2025, 2:01 PM EDT
By Suzy Khimm
An E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce ripped across 15 states in November, sickening dozens of people, including a 9-year-old boy in Indiana who nearly died of kidney failure and a 57-year-old Missouri woman who fell ill after attending a funeral lunch. One person died.
But chances are you haven’t heard about it.
The Food and Drug Administrationindicated in February that it had closed the investigation without publicly detailing what had happened — or which companies were responsible for growing and processing the contaminated lettuce.
According to an internal report obtained by NBC News, the FDA did not name the companies because no contaminated lettuce was left by the time investigators uncovered where the pathogen was coming from.
“There were no public communications related to this outbreak,” the FDA said in its report, which noted that there had been a death but provided no details about it.
Federal officials are not required by law to reveal detailed information about all known outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, and there are reasons the FDA may choose not to publicize an outbreak, including when the cause is unknown or when officials are still working behind the scenes with the companies responsible.
But the FDA had shifted in recent years toward greater transparency in the wake of large-scale outbreaks and heightened public concern about contaminated food, said Frank Yiannas, the former deputy commissioner of food policy and response at the agency...
A deadly E. coli outbreak hit 15 states, but the FDA chose not to publicize it
The outbreak linked to romaine lettuce killed one person and sickened at least 88 more, including a 9-year-old boy who nearly died of kidney failure.
April 17, 2025, 5:00 AM EDT / Updated April 17, 2025, 2:01 PM EDT
By Suzy Khimm
An E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce ripped across 15 states in November, sickening dozens of people, including a 9-year-old boy in Indiana who nearly died of kidney failure and a 57-year-old Missouri woman who fell ill after attending a funeral lunch. One person died.
But chances are you haven’t heard about it.
The Food and Drug Administrationindicated in February that it had closed the investigation without publicly detailing what had happened — or which companies were responsible for growing and processing the contaminated lettuce.
According to an internal report obtained by NBC News, the FDA did not name the companies because no contaminated lettuce was left by the time investigators uncovered where the pathogen was coming from.
“There were no public communications related to this outbreak,” the FDA said in its report, which noted that there had been a death but provided no details about it.
Federal officials are not required by law to reveal detailed information about all known outbreaks of foodborne illnesses, and there are reasons the FDA may choose not to publicize an outbreak, including when the cause is unknown or when officials are still working behind the scenes with the companies responsible.
But the FDA had shifted in recent years toward greater transparency in the wake of large-scale outbreaks and heightened public concern about contaminated food, said Frank Yiannas, the former deputy commissioner of food policy and response at the agency...