TOLEDO, Ohio — As health officials continue to investigate more cases of E. Coli in Ohio and Michigan, local doctors are breaking down how patients are reacting.
The good news is that so far, no deaths have been attributed to these cases. But there are some people who this can impact more when it comes to the severity of symptoms.
"We are concerned about the people who have severe symptoms, those are the people who need to pay attention," said Dr. Pardeep Bansal, a Gastroenterologist at Mercy Health.
Dr. Bansal said immunocompromised individuals, elderly people and children under five are less likely to bounce back quickly from E. Coli, meaning they are more at risk to be hospitalized if they get it.
And while this specific group of people could have more severe symptoms, gastroenterologists say the average person will not become severely sick. However, at this point it's hard to determine how many more people will get sick.
"It’s hard to tell how many people would become infected but the good thing is there has been no deaths reported," said Dr. Bansal.
If you experience diarrhea, cramping, vomiting and fevers, you could potentially have E. Coli. Many of these cases have been recently linked to romaine lettuce at Wendy's.
Here in Ohio, 19 cases have been connected to his outbreak. The Michigan Department of Health is reporting 53 cases connected to the outbreak.