Major out break of E. coli in U.S. says CDC

E. coli

First there were the anti-vaxxers, who have spread measles, mumps and chickenpox all around the country with their uninformed and downright stupid opinions that vaccines will cause harm when, in fact, solid science has proven them wrong. There's also a mysterious fungus thriving in the U.S. that we'll address in another post. But today it's all about E. coli that is running amok in Georgia, Kentucky, Ohio, Tennessee and Virginia.

Federal health officials have not identified a food item, grocery store or restaurant chain as the source of these infections, claims CNN. It's being investigated by the CDC, state health departments, the US Department of Agriculture's Food Safety and Inspection Service and the US Food and Drug Administration and the mystery of its source is even more troubling. E. coli likely has no connection to measles, but the coincidence of this all at once.

Since no source has been identified, CBS says, "the CDC is not recommending that consumers avoid any particular food item due to E. coli, while health officials continue to investigate the source of the illnesses." Here's what happened in the U.K. in 2015...

"A strain of E. coli became a potentially fatal infection in the UK around 30 years ago, when it acquired a powerful toxin, a gene study has revealed. ... E. coliO157 strains can produce molecules called shiga-toxins, which are linked to more serious human infections."

"Symptoms of HUS include fever, abdominal pain, pale skin tone, fatigue and irritability, unexplained bruises or bleeding from the nose and mouth, and decreased urination. These complications are more common in young children under 5, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems." And there lies my question, people with other diseases have weakened immune systems, thus, they are more prone to E. coli. It could be a vicious circle.

UPDATE: E. coli mystery solved: Ground beef is source of outbreak, CDC says