E. Coli Hits 11 as Officials Race Against the Clock

ABC News covers a mysterious E. coli O145 outbreak hitting 11 victims across four southern states, including the death of 21-month-old Maelan Elizabeth Graffagnini in New Orleans. With five cases centered in Atlanta and CDC unable to identify the source, Georgia health officials stated "We know that these cases are all linked, and that would suggest that there was a common source somewhere along the way. We just don't know where." Marler warns "they are racing against the clock, they want to figure out what the product is, and get it out of the market before it sickens or kills anyone else." Dr. Richard Besser emphasized on Good Morning America: "Until you know what caused this, you're going to be working around the clock. Until you solve this, lives are at stake." The article notes that until this week, USDA wasn't testing meat for O145—Marler had petitioned for testing of six non-O157 strains now just beginning.