On August 19th, the CDC announced they are investigating an outbreak of E. coli in the Midwest. At this time, they could not confirm the exact source of the outbreak, however, the CDC has narrowed it down to Wendy's Restaurants and the lettuce they used on burgers.

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What do I need to do?

The CDC, at this time, is not advising the public to avoid eating at Wendy's, nor to stop eating romaine lettuce.

According to the CDC, Wendy's is taking precautionary measures of removing the romaine lettuce being used in sandwiches from restaurants in the region. At this time, the CDC claims there is no evidence indicating that romaine lettuce sold in our grocery stores, other restaurants, or already in your home is linked to the outbreak.

I don't feel so good after eating at Wendy's. What are the signs?

Symptoms of E. coli are as follows (Information from CDC.gov):

  • Diarrhea and a fever higher than 102 F
  • Diarrhea for more than 3 days that is not improving
  • Bloody diarrhea
  • So much vomiting that you cannot keep liquids down
  • Signs of dehydration, such as
    • Not peeing much
    • Dry mouth and throat
    • Feeling dizzy when standing up

For more details on E. coli Infection, check out the CDC questions and answers page via the button below.

If you DO have symptoms of E. coli Infection, here's what our public health officials ask you to do:

  • Write down what you ate in the week before you got sick.
  • Report your illness to your local or state health department
  • Answer public health officials' questions about your illness.

What should I do as a business owner?

At this time, the CDC is not advising businesses to stop selling or serving any foods.

Should we be worried in Billings, let alone Montana?

In a statement from Wendys, they state they are working with public health authorities on their investigation of the E. coli outbreak. Wendy's also makes a point to confirm their salads are unaffected by this, as they use a separate type of lettuce. At this time, they are discarding and replacing sandwich lettuce at restaurants in that region, consisting of Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.

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