According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, romaine lettuce from Yuma, Arizona, might be the cause of the latest E. coli outbreak.So far, there have been 53 cases of E. coli in 11 states and 31 individuals were hospitalized.Five of the people who were hospitalized ended up developing a type of kidney failure called hemolytic uremic syndrome.Health officials are warning the public to avoid consuming romaine lettuce for the time being.Bad news for salad lovers. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), romaine lettuce is likely the cause of the latest E. coli outbreak, which has affected numerous several people across the US and even sent several to the hospital.While it remains unclear which exact grower, supplier, distributor, or brand is responsible for the contaminated romaine lettuce, the CDC collected preliminary information that suggests that the E. coli-ridden romaine lettuce originated from Yuma, Arizona.The CDC reported that this latest outbreak of E. coli started around March 22 to March 31. As of April 18, the outbreak has affected 53 people across 16 statesall over the country, including Pennsylvania, Idaho, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Virginia, Washington, Alaska, Arizona, California, Louisiana, and Montana. Of the 53 people who have fallen ill, 31 needed to be hospitalized and five of them developed a rare condition calledhemolytic uremic syndrome.Across these different states, the CDC reports that most of the people affected had one thing in common: they had eaten romaine lettuce within the week they began feeling ill.The CDC conducted interviews with 43 of the infected individuals and found that 95% of them had eaten a salad at a restaurant before feeling sick. Romaine lettuce was the only common ingredient identified among the salads, and the restaurants confirmed that they had used bagged, chopped romaine lettuce to make their salads.As the outbreak spreads, the FDA is investigating and has advised consumers to stop eating romaine lettuce.In the past few days alone, the number of ill people has risen by 18, the number of affected states has risen by five, the number of hospitalizations has risen by nine, and the number of people who contracted hemolytic uremic syndrome has risen by two.Given the spread of the outbreak, theU.S. Food & Drug Administrationhas launched an official investigation. The FDA has also advised consumers to throw away products containing chopped romaine lettuce and to practice safe food handling and preparation measures to protect themselves from E. coli infection.E. coli bacteria is normally harmless, but certain strains can make you really ill.Contrary to popular belief, not all E. coli bacteria is bad. According to the Mayo Clinic, Escherichia coli (E. coli) refers to a diverse group of bacteria that is normally found in the intestines of healthy humans and animals.Most varieties of E. coli are completely harmless, or only cause brief bouts of diarrhea. But certain strains of E. coli can make people seriously sick.The most common way to contract an E. coli infection is by eating contaminated food, especially meat, milk, and fresh produce. E. coli bacteria living in a cow's body can find its way inside ground beef or unpasteurized milk. Runoff from cattle farms can also contaminate fields of vegetables, such as spinach and lettuce.But according to the CDC, there are plenty of other ways to acquire an E. coli infectionfor example, drinking or swimming in contaminated water that has been polluted with human or animal feces, visiting a petting zoo, or eating food prepared by people who did not wash their hands thoroughly after using the toilet.It doesn't take a lot of bacteria to make you really sick. And what's more, washing your produce isn't enough to get rid of the bacteriaas Consumer Reportspointed out, E. coli bacteria can adhere to the surface of leafy greens and get stuck in microscopic crevices.The most common symptoms of E. coli infection, according to the Mayo Clinic, include severe abdominal cramps, bloody diarrhea, and vomiting. These symptoms typically manifest three or four days after you've been exposed to the bacteria, although it's possible to feel ill as soon as one day after or up to more than week later.In some cases, the symptoms can even be life-threatening.In this latest outbreak of E. coli, the CDC reported that three people were hospitalized withhemolytic uremic syndrome,a condition where an individual's damaged red blood cells clog the filtering system in the kidneys.While many people fully recover from hemolytic uremic syndrome, it can lead to potentially deadly complications such as kidney failure, high blood pressure, stroke, coma, intestinal problems, and heart problems. Though it is rare, hemolytic uremic syndrome can occur in particularly severe cases of E. coli infection, particularly among young children and older adults.To stay safe, the CDC advises consumers to avoid romaine lettuce from Yuma, Arizona. But, according to Consumer Reports, it's best to stop eating romaine lettuce altogether.The CDC released an official documentcontaining advice for consumers, restaurants, and retailers on how to protect themselves from this latest E. coli outbreak. In it, the CDC advises restaurants and retailers to check the source of their chopped romaine lettuce and stop selling or serving chopped romaine lettuce that originated from the Yuma, Arizona, region.For consumers, the CDC recommends that they discard any store-bought chopped romaine lettuce that they may have at home, and to wash and sanitize the shelves where the chopped romaine was stored. The CDC also advises consumers to check with grocery stores or restaurants that they do not source their romaine lettuce from Yuma, Arizona, before purchasing romaine lettuce from those places.Consumer Reports, however, has slightly different advice for consumers: Avoid romaine altogether. According to Jean Halloran from Consumers Union,the advocacy division of Consumer Reports, it is "unrealistic to expect consumers to figure out whether their romaine was produced in Arizona or somewhere else, especially when eating in a restaurant."As Consumer Reports points out, restaurant employees often simply do not know where their lettuce comes from. And while E. coli has not been linked to unbagged whole heads or hearts of romaine, Consumer Reports suggests that it may be best to avoid buying any romaine from grocery stores until we know more.Sign uphereto get INSIDER's favorite stories straight to your inbox.Join the conversation about this storyNOW WATCH: How all-you-can-eat restaurants don't go bankrupt
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