4 more die from eating bad lettuce

CONTAMINATED LETTUCE is off store shelves, but casualties linked to the nationwide romaine E. coli outbreak keep rising.

Four more deaths — in New York, Minnesota and Arkansas — have been reported in connection with the outbreak, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention update released Friday.

The death toll is now five. The first fatality — in California — from food poisoning blamed on tainted lettuce grown in Yuma, Ariz., was reported in early May.

The growing season there ended six weeks ago. Because the produce is perishable, the tainted salad staple is probably no longer on stores or in people’s homes.

There can be a lag in reporting, and reports of illnesses — and death — have continued to come in.

Most E. coli bacteria aren’t harmful, but some produce toxins that can cause bloody diarrhea, extreme stomach cramps, kidney failure and vomiting.

In the update, health officials said 25 more cases have been added, raising the total number of illnesses to 197 in 35 states.

At least 89 people were hospitalized.