On Thursday, June 7, ABC-TV evening news broke the story of an E. coli O145 outbreak affecting California, Tennessee, Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama and Florida. One death, an infant aged 21 months, was reported in New Orleans, and five cases were reported in the Atlanta, GA area. Health officials believe the cases are linked to the same source, although that is still unknown.
On June 10, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued an update on the locations and numbers of infections, though no cause has yet been found. A total of 14 persons infected with the outbreak strain of STEC O145 infection were identified in six states. The number of ill persons identified in each state is as follows: Alabama (2), California (1), Florida (1), Georgia (5), Louisiana (4) and Tennessee (1). Three ill persons were hospitalized, and one death was reported in Louisiana, according to CDC.