Federal probe into
E. coli cases starts
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is again investigating an outbreak of foodborne illness potentially linked to romaine lettuce sold in Arkansas.
The public health agency and its sister agency, the Food and Drug Administration, looked into three separate, similar outbreaks at the end of 2019.
In the current outbreak, 12 people were sickened across six states with a strain of E. coli bacteria that regulators also found in single-head romaine lettuce sold by Tanimura & Antle. Five people were hospitalized.
However, there is not enough information yet to know if the lettuce caused the illnesses, according to an investigation report.
Tanimura & Antle recalled the lettuce “out of an abundance of caution.” As well as Arkansas, the greens were distributed in several other states including Texas, Tennessee, Missouri and Oklahoma.
No sicknesses have been reported in Arkansas or its bordering states. Symptoms of E. coli infection include stomach cramps, bloody diarrhea and a low fever.
Health experts say it’s not clear why romaine is involved in recalls so often, but it could be because it’s often eaten raw, or because of the way it’s processed, which mixes together chopped lettuce from several growers.
Infusion center
opens at UAMS
A new infusion center opened at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ campus in Little Rock, the system announced in a news release.
The 50-patient center at the Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute is for patients receiving chemotherapy. It will mostly serve patients with blood cancers, such as multiple myeloma, leukemia and lymphoma.
It’s also for patients participating in clinical trials, and will house the state’s first Phase I Clinical Trial Unit. Those trials test new drugs in a small group of patients to review dosages and side effects.
“I expect patients to come to the Cancer Institute from across the country to gain access to these therapies,” Dr. Michael Birrer, the institute’s director, said in a statement.
“This is the cutting edge, and it’s what our patients need.”
UAMS is pursuing recognition as a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center, a status its leadership hopes to gain in the next few years. It would be the first such facility in the state.
Published at Sun, 15 Nov 2020 08:26:15 +0000