4 More Deaths Connected To E-Coli Outbreak Linked To Romaine Lettuce From Yuma

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Four more people have died in the E. coli outbreak linked to romaine lettuce from Yuma, Arizona.

One of the deaths was in upstate New York, officials said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says 25 more people became sick two to three weeks ago from eating the contaminated lettuce, when it was still for sale.

It is likely no longer on store shelves or being served in restaurants, officials said, adding the last shipments of romaine from the Yuma growing region were harvested on April 16 and the harvest season is over.

Dr. Robert Glatter, an emergency physician at Lenox Hill Hospital, said that does not eliminate the possibility of an E. coli spread.

"This bacteria can be on your hands and if you're not washing your hands carefully, you can transmit it to other persons who have contact with you," he said. "That's really the concern at this point."

Medical experts say the best preventative measure is to wash your produce and your hands for 15 to 20 seconds.

In all, five people have died, and 197 people in 35 states were sickened in the outbreak. Eighty-nine people have been hospitalized.

The elderly and young children are particularly vulnerable, because the bacteria causes a type of kidney failure.

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