When the CDC declared the Jimmy John’s E. coli O103 outbreak over at a total of 51 people infected with the outbreak strain of E. coli O103 reported from 10 states, that included only 3 counted in Iowa.

According to the CDC, illnesses started on dates ranging from January 6, 2020, to March 15, 2020. Ill people ranged in age from 1 to 79 years, with a median age of 29 years. Fifty-five percent of ill people were female. Of 41 ill people with information available, 3 were hospitalized and no deaths were reported.

A few moments ago a report from the Iowa Department of Health report landed in my inbox showing that 22 from Iowa were sickened.

Here is the summary:

In December, 2019, 22 Iowans became ill with Escherichia coli (E.coli) O103 after consuming clover sprouts produced by Sprouts Unlimited Wholesale Foods, Inc (Sprouts Unlimited) and sold on sandwiches at Jimmy John’s restaurants. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) first identified this outbreak through routine surveillance on December 18, 2019 when four individuals reported consuming sandwiches sold at various Jimmy John’s locations.

Iowa’s food retail and manufacturing regulatory agency, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA), notified Jimmy John’s district office of the findings. Based on the epidemiological information, Sprouts Unlimited voluntarily ceased further distribution of clover sprouts pending additional information.

On February 21, 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter to Jimmy John’s with evidence that demonstrates Jimmy John’s engaged in a pattern of receiving and offering for sale adulterated fresh produce, specifically clover sprouts and cucumbers.

The FDA also issued a warning letter to Sprouts Unlimited on February 25, 2020 for supplying sprouts to Jimmy John’s which lead to this outbreak and for several violations observed during FDA’s inspection of Sprouts Unlimited on December 31, 2019.

Here is the full report: 2002IAEXW-1 Outbreak – Iowa DPH Final Report