The first death has been reported from the national E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce, with the fatality taking place in California. In an update yesterday (May 2nd), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that 121 people had gotten sick in 25 states, and at least 52 people have been hospitalized — an unusually high number — including 14 of them with kidney failure.
Health officials have tied the outbreak to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Arizona, which provides most of the romaine sold in the U.S. during the winter.