A month after last illness reported, health agency says romaine is OK again

OTTAWA – The Public Health Agency of Canada says it's probably safe to eat romaine lettuce again.

The agency says no new cases of E. coli connected to romaine have been detected in Canada since mid-November.

In the month before that, 29 people are known to have gotten sick from the bacteria in the lettuce, mostly in Quebec.

E. coli, which is present in feces and sometimes in raw meat, can cause serious digestive problems.

The government says nobody died in the outbreak but 10 people were hospitalized and two have had severe and lasting complications.

Investigators still don't know exactly how the lettuce became contaminated but the agency says people got sick eating it at home and at restaurants.