One dead consuming romaine lettuce amid multi-province E. coli outbreak.

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Meeshika Sharma
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One fatality has been linked to an E. coli outbreak in romaine lettuce that has been detected in five provinces-Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador.publive-image

The Public Health Agency of Canada said in a statement Thursday night that a total of 30 cases of E.coli 0157 are being investigated and one person has died.The statement did not say where the death occurred or give any other details.

The agency says six cases have been reported in Ontario, five in Quebec and New Brunswick, one in Nova Scotia and 13 in Newfoundland and Labrador.

Those who became ill range between the ages of four and 80 and 70 per cent of those who became sick are female.Public health officials say many of those who became sick say they ate romaine lettuce before their illnesses occurred.

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Symptoms of E. coli infection include nausea, vomiting, headache, fever, severe stomach cramps and watery or bloody stool.

Most people recover in a few days but some can develop life-threatening illnesses that can cause death.

Jason Tetro, a visiting scientist at the University of Guelph in Ontario, explained that the bacteria is typically not found in produce such as lettuce. Instead, it’s in the water that’s used to irrigate produce on farms. For example, he said the water from a nearby river could be contaminated with manure from cows on the farm.

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