Outbreak of E. coli is now killer

THE FIRST DEATH has been reported in a national food poisoning outbreak linked to romaine lettuce.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its numbers on the outbreak Wednesday, revealing that 121 people had gotten sick in 25 states, and a death was reported in California.

At least 52 people have been hospitalized, including 14 with kidney failure, which is an unusually high number of hospitalizations.

Health officials have tied the E. coli outbreak to romaine lettuce grown in Yuma, Ariz., which provides most of the romaine sold in the U.S. during the winter.

People who get sick from toxin-producing E. coli come down with symptoms about three to four days after swallowing the germ, with many suffering bloody diarrhea, severe stomach cramps and vomiting.