Wendy’s has announced that it is removing lettuce from sandwiches sold in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and two other states as a precaution as the CDC investigates cases of E. Coli reported in those states and Mahoning County.

The fast-food chain announced on its blog Friday that its restaurants in Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Indiana have stopped putting lettuce on hamburgers and other sandwiches for now.  Wendy’s says it is still offering salads since the restaurants use lettuce, which is not impacted by the Centers for Disease Control investigation.

The CDC, 37 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O157 have been reported from the following 4 states:

Indiana (1), Michigan (15), Ohio (19), and Pennsylvania (2).

Ten people have been hospitalized, including 3 people in Michigan who have a type of kidney failure.

According to the Ohio Department of Health, the 19 cases in Ohio are located in the following counties:

Wood (7), Lorain (3), Cuyahoga (2), Lucas (2), Mahoning (2), Clermont (1), Franklin (1), and Summit (1).

The affected individuals in Ohio range in age from 8 to 82 years old. There are 11 males and eight females.

 In Ohio, four people have been hospitalized, and as the CDC noted in its release, no deaths have been reported.

The CDC says a specific food has not yet been confirmed as the source of this outbreak, but many affected people reported eating burgers and sandwiches with romaine lettuce at Wendy’s restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania before getting sick.

The CDC says investigators are working to confirm whether romaine lettuce is the source of the outbreak and whether romaine lettuce served at Wendy’s restaurants was served or sold at other businesses.

Among 26 people interviewed by health officials, 22 reported eating at a Wendy’s restaurant in the week before their illness started.

The Wendy’s restaurants where sick people ate are in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The sick person in Indiana has not been interviewed.

CDC is not advising that people avoid eating at Wendy’s restaurants or that people stop eating romaine lettuce.

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 the outbreak.

Wendy’s posted the below statement on its blog:

We are fully cooperating with public health authorities on their ongoing investigation of the regional E. coli outbreak reported in certain midwestern states. While the CDC has not yet confirmed a specific food as the source of that outbreak, we are taking the precaution of removing the sandwich lettuce from restaurants in that region. The lettuce that we use in our salads is different and is not affected by this action. As a company, we are committed to upholding our high standards of food safety and quality.

What You Should Do:

Call your healthcare provider right away if you have severe E. coli symptoms, such as diarrhea that lasts for more than 3 days or diarrhea that is accompanied by a fever higher than 102°F, bloody diarrhea, or so much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down and are not peeing much.

  • If you have symptoms of E. coli, help us solve this outbreak:
  • Write down what you ate in the week before you got sick.
  • Report your illness to your local or state health department.
  • Answer public health officials’ questions about your illness.

 More about E. coli:

Symptoms of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) infection vary for each person but often include severe stomach cramps, diarrhea (often bloody), and vomiting. Some people may have a fever, which usually is not very high (less than 101°F/38.5°C).

Most people get better within 5 to 7 days. Some infections are very mild, but others are severe or even life-threatening.

Most people with a STEC infection start feeling sick 3 to 4 days after eating or drinking something that contains the bacteria. However, illnesses can start anywhere from 1 to 10 days after exposure.