The CDC, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and public health and regulatory officials in a number of states are investigating a multistate outbreak ofE. coliO157:H7 infections.They are still not sure about the food item(s) that is/are making individuals sick. Manifestations of this infection include stomach cramps which can be severe, diarrhea that is often bloody), vomiting, with or without a fever, that is not usually very high (less than 101F)

List the steps that you would take to investigate this outbreak. Describe each step. The general steps for an outbreak investigation are listed in PowerPoint slides 49 through 51 (please refer to themoduleon Infectious diseases transmission) as well as athttps://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/outbreaks/investigating-outbreaks/investigations/index.html.Please make sure that the steps you describe are specific to the outbreak being invetigated.

More information on this outbreak are available athttps://www.cdc.gov/ecoli/2020/o157h7-10-20a/index.html.