The FDA has tied 12 illnesses to recalled Publix frozen blueberries. Will its case count rise above 12 before Aug 14?
50% of users predicted YES — the community missed this one. 2 predictions cast.
The CDC's confirmed case count for the E. coli O145:H28 outbreak linked to recalled Publix GreenWise frozen blueberries remained at 12 illnesses across Florida and Georgia through mid-August 2026, never rising above the 12 cases CDC first reported on July 6. Four of the 12 patients were hospitalized and no deaths were reported. The count held steady because illness onset dates for all confirmed patients ran from May 11 to June 5, predating Publix's July 29 nationwide recall of its frozen blueberries and mixed berries, and no additional outbreak-strain matches were identified in the following weeks. By early August, outbreak trackers such as Food Poison Journal noted the case count "had not moved since July 6" even as the FDA had yet to release a root-cause or environmental assessment. This is a common pattern in produce-linked E. coli investigations: the case count stabilizes once contaminated product is pulled from shelves, even while the source investigation continues. The poll on this question was evenly split at 50% yes among its two respondents, so the result is not a clear community hit or miss; voters were divided on whether the count would climb, and it did not.