The Ohio Department of Health (ODH) has been assisting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), local health departments, and other state and federal agencies in the ongoing investigation of this E. coli outbreak.

The 24 cases in Ohio are located in the following counties:

• Wood (10)
• Lucas (4)
• Lorain (3)
• Cuyahoga (2)
• Mahoning (2)
• Clermont (1)
• Franklin (1)
• Summit (1)

A specific food has not yet been confirmed as the source of this outbreak, but many of the people affected reported eating burgers and sandwiches with romaine lettuce at Wendy’s restaurants in Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania before getting sick, according to the CDC. 

Based on this information, Wendy’s has taken the precautionary measure of removing the romaine lettuce being used in sandwiches in that region. Wendy’s uses a different type of romaine lettuce for salads.

Investigators are working to confirm whether romaine lettuce is the source of this outbreak, and whether romaine lettuce served at Wendy’s restaurants was served or sold at other businesses.
The affected individuals in Ohio range in age from 8 to 82 years old. There are 15 males and nine females.   

In Ohio, six people have been hospitalized, and as the CDC noted in its release, no deaths have been reported. 

However, Wood County Shiga Toxin E. coli cases are as follows:

Total cases reported in Wood County since July 31, 2022	23
Age range of cases	13-68
Total hospitalizations reported since July 31	7
Age range – hospitalized cases	21-60